Kucinich-Paul in ‘08?
Filed under: President 2008, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul
Hey, why not?
The Ohio Democrat and the Texas Republican have a significant bond: They're antiwar activists detested by their party establishment who, on a bipartisan or third-party ticket, could command significant grass-roots support.
During Monday's debate among the Democratic presidential hopefuls, Dennis Kucinich used his time extensively and expertly, detailing his anti-war credentials. His finest moment came in response to a questioner who cited the flags that "covered the coffins of my grandfather, my father, and my oldest son," and asked, "By what date after January 21st, 2009, will all U.S. troops be out of Iraq?" Kucinich replied, "The underlying assumption here is that we're going to be in Iraq until the next president takes office, and I reject that totally. People can send a message to Congress right now -- and this is in a convention of this appearance -- they can text peace, and text 73223, text peace. Send a message to Congress right now, you want out."
If Kucinich really wants the U.S. out of Iraq, he should transcend party politics and connect with Republican candidate Ron Paul.
Describing a past Republican presidential debate, Pat Buchanan wrote, "Of the 10 candidates on stage in South Carolina, Dr. Paul alone opposed the war. He alone voted against the war. Have not the last five years vindicated him, when two-thirds of the nation now agrees with him that the war was a mistake, and journalists and politicians left and right are babbling in confession, 'If I had only known then what I know now ...'"
As PJB implied, antiwar voices have more support than the establishments of both major parties would think. One-issue candidates, from Ross Perot to Steve Forbes, don't do too well in elections. But the Iraq war is one of the biggest foreign-policy issues of our time, and two determined candidates could stun the know-it-alls with a surprise run.
