HELENA -- The Rocky Mountain West, long a Republican stronghold, is fertile ground for Democrats hoping to take back Congress and the White House in coming years, Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean told supporters here Saturday.

Democrats have more in common with Westerners than the GOP, the former Vermont governor said.

They appreciate the free-spirited, independent thinking that dominates states like Montana, and understand the wish for a balanced budget and a strong military, as well as treating soldiers well when they get home, something Dean said the Bush administration has neglected.

''I think we're going to have a very appealing message in the Rocky Mountain West," he said. ''We want to be everywhere. We don't think just because George Bush won this state by a lot of votes means that Montana is going to be Republican state forever.

''I think our values are more consistent with Montana values than Republican values are."

Dean, speaking to about 100 people at a meeting of the DNC's Western States Caucus, continued his call for unity and consistency among Democrats, calling on local and state leaders to rally voters on key issues and no longer allow Republicans to ''define our party."

''The Democratic party for too long has been a group of constituencies instead of a party. ... We're going to define our party. I'm not going to let them do it anymore," he said.

Dean's comments drew heavy applause from Democratic leaders representing more than a dozen Western states, as well as several key Montana officials. The audience included state Superintendent of Public Education Linda McCulloch, a handful of state lawmakers, and Senate President Jon Tester, a leading Democratic candidate to unseat U.S. Senate Conrad Burns, R-Mont.

Dean, who stirred controversy this week by attacking the work ethic of Republicans, continued his barrage on conservatives, saying citizens ''can't trust Republicans with your money" and lambasting the Bush administration for its fiscal irresponsibility and weak health care policy.

He said the president needs to get tough on the real threats to national security, nations like North Korea and Iran that claim to have nuclear weapons, rather than nations like Iraq, where no weapons of mass destruction were found.

''The problem with this administration is not that they're not tough, but that they can't tell the difference between a threat and a nuisance. ... I would make the argument that America is safer when Democrats are in the White House, than when Republicans are in the White House," Dean said.

He also called for pension system reforms and changes to the No Child Left Behind education law that has drawn criticism from rural states like Montana for its blanket approach.

''We need to fix it so it is paid for, not a bureaucratic mess, and the federal Education Department, which seems to know little about education, will not be running our public schools," Dean said. ''The local people will be doing that."

Dean, who flew to Montana after appearances in Missouri, planned to stay in Helena overnight before leaving for Washington state, his spokesman said.

He is also scheduled to speak July 16 in Great Falls at the state Democratic Party Officers Convention.