Democrat Senate Candidate Distances Herself From Dean

She’d rather go it alone than get the help of some of her fellow Democrats. State Auditor Claire McCaskill is trying to beat Republican Senator Jim Talent. But, in an interview with the Missourinet, McCaskill says this week’s remarks by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean that the U.S. cannot win the war in Iraq are “offensive” to her. That’s why, at least in part, McCaskill has turned down some national Democrats in their requests to come to Missouri to campaign for her. But she declines to name any specific people she turned away. McCaskill also makes a veiled reference to Senator John Kerry’s abandonment of Missouri during last year’s presidential election. She says too many Democrats in Washington are out of touch with what Missourians think is important.