PARK CITY — Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean on Monday criticized President Bush's politics as being as fiscally irresponsible as "Enron accounting" and called for general reform in politics.

"All our children in America are being hurt by what's going on in Washington, D.C.," Dean said Monday at a fund-raiser for the Utah Democratic Party at the Spotted Frog bookstore. "I want to be the party of reform and change. . . . What this party is about is to make sure everyone gets treated fairly."

It was standing room only as a crowd of more than 200 people packed into the bookstore to see Dean, who is in the running to head the Democratic National Committee for the next four years.

"This country has suffered greatly in the last few years," Dean said. "Worst of all, we've lost our sense of community. We've lost our sense of all being in this together."

Dean said Americans need a government they can trust with their tax dollars, and he called for campaign finance reform to take political power back to the people.

Americans need to be able to "trust our government to stand up for each one of us the way it would stand up for the most privileged," he said.

Dean said Democrat Peter Corroon, his cousin, was elected Salt Lake County mayor "because he stands for good government." Alluding to recent county government scandals, Dean said Republicans and Democrats both want trustworthy officials.

Dean criticized Republicans in the U.S. House for weakening ethics rules to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay, allowing him to stay in power if he is charged by a Texas grand jury. At the same time Dean was speaking, however, House Republicans met behind closed doors and restored the rule requiring indicted party leaders to step aside.

Dean said most Americans want the same things — jobs, health care and a quality education system.

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