Dean showed why Republicans wanted him to be the face of the Democratic Party when, in a recent TV appearance, he proclaimed, “Benghazi is a laughable joke.” When a Republican National Committee spokesman pointed out that the death of four Americans didn’t seem funny, Dean responded, “Oh, stop it.”

As we now know, the Obama administration insisted on claiming the Benghazi attack was a protest of a YouTube video, not a terrorist attack, long after the administration knew better. Whether that was politically motivated incompetence or something worse remains to be seen, but this should be beyond debate: The murder of Americans serving overseas is no laughing matter.

Dean’s comments show how out of touch he remains, and why Republicans may soon demand: “Please make this man Obama’s press spokesman.”