Dean's Dubious Memory: Now Claims He Said He Would 'Vigorously' Support Obama In 2012

Will ObamaCare cover memory loss?  Howard Dean better hope so.  On today's Meet the Press he seemed to suffer a serious memory lapse, claiming he had said he would "vigorously" support Pres. Obama's re-election [H/t reader Melody].  Problem: we have the video of Dean on Morning Joe of December 17th saying just the opposite: that he would "not vigorously" support PBO's 2012 re-election bid.

So noteworthy was Dean's "not vigorously" declaration at the time that it caused a gleeful Joe Scarborough  to burst into laughter and repeat it.  Not a decibel out of Dean to dispute what Joe had heard. As I reported at the time, here was Dean on December 17th:

  HOWARD DEAN: Look, here's the thing: every politician says this and I hesitate to do it because they all say it, but sometimes the country's more important than either party.

    JOE SCARBOROUGH: Amen.

    DEAN: I'm going to support President Obama when he runs for re-election. Not vigorously.  I'm going to vote for him.

Scarborough can be heard bursting into laughter off-camera.

    DEAN: I am, I am.

    SCARBOROUGH: "Not vigorously."  Boy, I can almost feel the confetti falling on my head here!

Now here's Dean from today's Meet The Press . .  .

DAVID GREGORY: Given your own fight within the Democratic party, indeed wtihin the Obama administration, do you intend to stay in the Democratic party?

HOWARD DEAN: Of course! Absolutely.  I've said I would vigorously support the president's re-election in 2012.  I have every intention of doing that.