Ohio Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich says most of the rest of the Democratic Party is just as wrong as the Bush Administration when it comes to the war in Iraq.
Kucinich says he’s in the race to "challenge" the stands of Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd who are running for president. "If the Democrats had listened to me in 2004, John Kerry would have been elected President of the United States. Instead, he threw in to support the war and when he supported the war he lost any chance of winning," Kucinich says. "…In effect what we have is Democrats, once again, supporting war policies."
Kucinich describes himself as the only candidate who is "clean" on issues of war and peace. Kucinich is critical of Democrats in congress for voting to fund the war in Iraq through 2009. Kucinich says his Democratic rivals have been "parroting" the Republican line.
But rival John Edwards has earned support from some peace activists who backed Kucinich in 2004 after Edwards said he "made a mistake" in voting to authorize the war in Iraq. Kucinich is harshly critical of Edwards. "He gave a speech that said all options are on the table with respect to Iran. Everyone understands what that means and I submit that’s the same kind of thinking that took us into Iraq unnecessarily," Kucinich says. "…No one who’s honest cannot claim that there’s not a difference between John Edwards and I, or that somehow he’s an improved version on matters of war and peace."
Kucinich is visiting Iowa today, "looking to renew friendships and contacts" he made during his 2004 run for the White House.
A Kucinich supporter campaigning with the congressman today lambasted voters who’re supporting Edwards because he’s a more "viable" candidate than Kucinich. Eileen Dannemann of the National Coalition of Organized Women said backing Edwards over Kucinich is like backing Pontius Pilate rather than Jesus.