It’s not from the DNC, but blaming Howard Dean for it is at least arguably fair since the guy who made it moves in elite enough circles that he’d probably pull it if the party leaned hard on him to do so. Dean-o suggested not long ago that this line of attack is off limits (which it shouldn’t be), so maybe he’s had a change of heart? Or maybe he’s content to let the activists do his dirty work for him.

Follow the first link to Goldfarb’s post to see why I’m fine with the left trying to attack him on this point. There’s a reason the spot is so upbeat and jokey: Any serious suggestion that septuagenarians are incompetent per se could have dire consequences for the Democrats, AARP’s influence notwithstanding. This is already closer to that line than I’d be comfortable with were I in Dean’s position. It does, however, show that they’re already writing off Hillary’s chances of a comeback: She’s only 11 years younger than Maverick, which makes the “can you believe this geezer” gaping rather underwhelming in context. Only if Obama’s the nominee does the age gap turn stark.