Blacks show interest in Dean

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Democratic candidate Howard Dean's medical degree and opposition to the war in Iraq are attracting black politicians to his presidential campaign, even as analysts say he lacks the political network to win the black vote.

Among would-be black voters, Mr. Dean, a licensed internist, has an advantage over his Democratic rivals on health care issues, said David Bositis, chief researcher for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a think tank specializing in issues of interest to blacks.

Health care has ranked high for several years in the center's annual national poll of issues important to blacks, Mr. Bositis said.

"[The numbers have] been going up as health care issues have become bigger for the African-American community, with AIDS, diabetes, hypertension on the rise for the past four years," he said, adding that Mr. Dean's medical background made him a more credible candidate on health care issues among blacks.

Mr. Dean has proposed an ambitious program to expand government-run health care coverage for the uninsured.

Of even greater interest to black voters is the former Vermont governor's staunch opposition to the Iraq war, said Rep. Major R. Owens, New York Democrat, who has endorsed Mr. Dean.

"His medical degree is a minor factor in my endorsing him, compared to his position on the war," Mr. Owens said.

Among the nine Democrats running for the White House, Mr. Dean has been one of the harshest critics of the Bush administration's policy on Iraq. He has accused the administration of exploiting the emotions of Americans after the September 11 attacks.

National polls have shown that blacks have opposed the war 4-to-1.