WASHINGTON -- Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is warning Democrats not to be too overconfident about their election prospects in 2008. Dean expresses optimism that the Democrats will keep control of Congress and also win the White House but then he injects a note of caution.

"This election is far from over," Dean said. "Republicans are good at winning elections. They've got lots of money. They are very tough."

As for the departure of White House political strategist Karl Rove, Dean opined that "it's long overdue" but he indicated that he believes Rove will continue to play a role behind the scenes.

In a telephone interview from his home in Burlington, Vt., the DNC chairman claimed the Democrats have three things going for them: President Bush's decision to launch the disastrous war in Iraq; a lack of leadership in the country and the incompetence of the administration as personified by the poor handling of the Katrina hurricane catastrophe.

Dean is on the road four to six days a week, working to win support for the Democratic party. Now it's up to those wishy-washy candidates to promise a quick end to the war and to develop plans for universal health care if they want a winning Democratic ticket.

Dean's plan is to track every single voting machine.

"We want to know how each county allocates the voting machines, what the rules on absentee ballots are, what the rules on early voting are, how they are administered in that county," said Dean. When the 2008 general election rolls around, "we will know well ahead of time what to expect in every single precinct."

Such a program must be implemented because, he claims, "the Republicans basically are interested in suppressing the vote."

..."Simon Rosenberg, president of the New Democratic Network, who ran against him, is impressed with many of the programs Dean has put in place for 2008. Yet Rosenberg says that will not be the Democrats' measuring stick. "Gov. Dean will ultimately be judged by whether he leads the Democrats to a presidential victory in 2008."

..."Howard Dean came to the DNC not to play but to win. His biggest challenge will be the electoral strategy of the Democrats' eventual presidential nominee.

Every nominee of recent years competed in only 18 to 20 states, writing off the rest of the country. If the next candidate approaches his or her campaign in the same, predictable way, then you will see all of Dean's efforts go on a head-to-head collision course.