Getting Beyond the Clinton-Obama Hype

While political pundits have been cackling incessantly about the hyped-up race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, commentators have all but ignored the fact that the election is still two years away, and that a full field of candidates has not yet even formed.

That point was emphasized Tuesday when Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio threw his hat into the presidential contenders’ ring. Kucinich, who ran for the Democratic nomination in 2004, was correctly and vehemently against United States military action in Iraq from the very beginning and he is now telling America that the money is there to bring the troops home now.

Kucinich rightly notes that Democrats took control of the U.S. House and Senate last month based on a promise to the American people that there would be a change of direction in Iraq. In the meantime, Congress is already considering a $160 million supplemental spending bill to keep American troops stuck in the middle of a bloody civil war.

While Kucinich may have seemed to the mainstream America of 2004 to be a left-wing radical, much of what he said in 2004 turned out to be exactly right. The presidential administration of George W. Bush lied its way into a war with no clear objective, no exit strategy and no plan to create and maintain peace. Kucinich’s candidacy is a welcome addition to the Democratic field, which includes 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards and his presidential running mate, Sen. John Kerry.

After more than a month of Clinton-Obama hype, it’s nice to hear an outspoken, consistent voice in Congressman Kucinich, who was willing to criticize the president when Bush’s poll numbers were more than double what they are today. Whether or not Kucinich has a chance of catching the frontrunners remains to be seen, but his inclusion as a candidate will be good both for the Democratic party and for America.