The Dean sure seems to have a firm grasp of the obvious: "Georgia Demo's in serious need of a makeover." -- Yes he does. He wrote this in Jan. 2003.

I've said it once, I'll say it again. If Bill Shipp says it, you can take it to the bank.

The title in quotes would appear to be most obvious to all, until one appreciates the Dean's usual foresight and true grasp of reality upon realizing that the words were penned by Mr. Shipp in January 2003, not November 2004.

On reading his words in November 2004 we realize that things indeed are relative. In January 2003 Mr. Shipp spoke of the Democratic Party having "collapsed (make that committed suicide) on Nov. 5, 2002," and its "demise."

Leaping lizards, with it that bad back then, how would one describe it now. Worse, much worse, and definitely time for those still in denial to cease and desist amd move onto the next stage (but I digress, and this is another topic).

Excerpts from a January 2003 column by Bill Shipp:

Georgia Democrats in serious need of a makeover

Until the Republican Party became competitive in Georgia, our state was a political backwater whose population was bamboozled, defrauded and underserved by a rotten one-party oligarchy.

The governing council called themselves Democrats. They were really nothing more than a bunch of pot-bellied white guys greedily jostling each other for a place at the public trough.

Then something happened in the 1960s. The Georgia GOP began to get traction. Suddenly scared Democrats wised up and invited women and blacks into their camp to maintain a majority. Republican ranks also swelled. The fight for Democratic survival was on.

The whole state benefited. Democrats cleaned up their act. A competitive two-party system helped remake Georgia into a model Southern state, noted for its booming economy, progressive race relations and a steadily improving system of post-secondary education. Our state's leaders became national leaders.

Now we may be slipping backward. Georgia is in danger of becoming again a reactionary one-party state, subject to the same abuses and deluding demagoguery from the bad old days. The difference this time is Republicans are in the driver's seat. The Democratic Party collapsed (make that committed suicide) on Nov. 5, 2002 - the day voters sent Gov. Roy Barnes and Sen. Max Cleland to the showers.

The party's demise has never been more apparent. In an important national election year, the once mighty Georgia Democrats, incredibly, cannot find a suitable candidate for the U.S. Senate. They also are having difficulty mustering a congressional team, even for at least one House district [the 11th District] purposely drawn more than two years ago to ensure a Democratic victory.

To be sure, Democrats still have an able party chair in state Rep. Calvin Smyre of Columbus, who is a banker and chairman of both the House Rules Committee and House Democratic Caucus. Yet, Smyre represents a time when the governor was the true chief of the Democratic Party, and the party chair was his part-time political lieutenant. Smyre fit the profile then - but not now.

Smyre is inundated in legislative chores. He has little time for candidate recruitment or fund raising in a new atmosphere in which the ''out'' Democrats must plead for contributions that once poured into their coffers almost automatically.

A few dedicated souls, including Bobby Kahn, Barnes' former chief of staff and currently a national Democratic media consultant, are trying to resuscitate the state party. Kahn is expected to seek the party chairmanship when and if the Democratic executive committee can convene a voting quorum. (Kahn refuses to talk about a bid for the party chair, except to say he will not run for the post if Smyre chooses to stay put.)

Kahn, 45, who chaired the Atlanta host committee for the 1988 Democratic National Convention, is a high-energy but controversial figure whose abrasive management style earned few friends during the Barnes era. He also was an architect of the Barnes administration's fatal strategies to change the state flag and require accountability from the normally pro-Democratic teachers' unions. Kahn's attempt to take the party chair could trigger a fierce intraparty battle. A spirited fight may be just what the presently passive Democrats need to stir passions and re-enter the fray for state control.

Regardless of partisan feelings, we all ought to root for a revived Democratic Party. A competitive two-party political establishment is good for Georgians. Tough challengers keep champs on their toes. Ask any football coach.