Presidential candidate Kucinich campaigns in Hawaii
Originally published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Presidential candidate Kucinich campaigns in Hawaii
The Associated Press
10/20/03 5:47 AM
HONOLULU (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich wound up two days of campaigning in Hawaii on Sunday night before departing for Washington.
The last stop for the Ohio congressman was Church of the Crossroads, where he explained why he chose to bring his fledgling campaign to Hawaii.
"I have in the last year and a half been getting so many e-mails from Hawaii responding to my message of peace and sustainability, and so I wanted to come and meet all the people who have been supporting my campaign and who have been urging me to run for president," Kucinich said outside the church.
"I'll be talking about how we really have to start changing the direction of this country, getting away from war, pre-emption, unilateralism, and towards cooperating with the world community," Kucinich said earlier Sunday.
"And my presidency will be about reaching out to the world community and creating conditions where we can have peace and sustainability being the watchwords of America, instead of war and poverty, frankly," he said.
Earlier in the day on Maui, Kucinich, who formally declared his candidacy Oct. 13, bristled when asked if he is a serious contender for the Democratic nomination.
Kucinich said he is bringing to the national debate such issues as defense spending cuts and extricating the United State from Iraq. He also cited his experience as a four-term congressman, former mayor of Cleveland and former state senator.
"I think that makes me not only a serious candidate, I think it makes me the next president," Kucinich said following a "town hall" meeting at Maui Community College.
Kucinich blasted President Bush for invading Iraq, saying Iraq had nothing to do with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and hadn't been shown to have weapons of mass destruction.
The invasion only fostered more bad feeling for America and "created more opportunity for terrorism," he said.
Kucinich called for an end to the U.S. presence in Iraq, repeal of the Patriot Act, elimination of nuclear weapons and cutting defense spending by 15 percent.
"A $400 billion budget for the Pentagon says nothing but that violence is inevitable, war is inevitable," he said. "We need to change that thinking."
Shay Chan Hodges, a grant writer from Haiku, said she thought Kucinich expressed his true thoughts, unlike other candidates who say things because they are popular.
"It's such a breath of fresh air," she said.
Kucinich, who attended two events after arriving on Maui on Saturday, also spoke at a fund-raiser luncheon Sunday before traveling to Honolulu.
Kucinich is the first of nine candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination to visit Hawaii.
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