The American Spectator

p> PARIAH DEAN br> If former Vermont Gov. Howie Dean seemed a bit off his game during last Thursday’s debate in South Carolina, it was because Sen. John Edwards had screwed up his strategy. /p>

Since his underwhelming performance in New Hampshire, Dean had been attempting to reach out and meet with Edwards, and even told intermediaries that he would be willing to travel early to South Carolina for a sit-down. Instead, Edwards ducked the phone calls.

“The assumption was that he wanted to try to strategize, perhaps go after Kerry in a coordinated manner,” says an Edwards campaign staffer in South Carolina. “We weren’t interested. Kerry might be frontrunner elsewhere, but our man is the frontrunner down here.”

Edwards and his key strategists went so far as discussing a possible Dean meeting, and whether it would be advantageous. But in the end, late Wednesday it was determined that Edwards shouldn’t accept Dean’s phone calls or speak to him extensively, even after the Greenville debate.

When Dean went up to Edwards after the debate had concluded, Edwards gave Dean a warm smile and a pat on the back, and, according to the Edwards source, told Dean, “Hey, let’s talk. Call me some time.”

“The senator thought that was pretty funny,” says the staffer.

p> KERRY JOB-CREATION