NYT continues to vet Dean, this time on some contracts in Vermont. The only reason to look at this is that the main stream Left NYT is doing a number on Dean. Will it hurt him? Did anti-Semitism hurt Hitler? Dean is like Hillary, nothing will disturb their bases.

The 1993 audit, by Edward S. Flanagan, pointed out that a $900,000 contract to administer health claims for the state's 17,000 workers had been awarded to Community Health Plan at a time when Dr. Dean's secretary of administration, the top official in the cabinet, was David Wilson, a lawyer and lobbyist who had counted the H.M.O. among his top clients.

Also, the audit concluded, Mr. Wilson played a substantive role in the awarding of the contract, despite having vowed to recuse himself from any state business involving former clients.

In the Clinton days the response would have been "old news". The Dean response now is to ignore it.