Assuming someone popular (Clark? Clinton?!) wants to team up with Dean for the presidential race, their best bet is to run against him in the Democratic primary, rather than endorsing him.
Consider the general case of two people running ‘against’ one another in the primary but planning to be on a single ticket once the primary is over. Both get to develop their public image; if one is brought down (say, by an unexpected PR blow), the other still has a chance to win the primary — the one brought down could drop out of the primary and endorse the other, passing on what remained of his public support.
What’s more, large donors could donate to both candidates during the primaries, effectively doubling their contribution limits. This would be particularly effective if the leading candidate didn’t accept matching government funds, making it less difficult for the two to combine their resources after the primary.
Just sayin’.
