Following the campaign, November 5
[note: this presents a different view on the encounter with Joe Klein than that of TOMPAINE.com in the previous entry. However, it's interesting to note that Klein apparently thinks that he should only feature those candidates that he agrees with]
SPIN ROOM SHOWDOWN
In the post-debate media zone, Kucinich engaged himself in a war of words with Time magazine columnist Joe Klein. The campaign was miffed that Kucinich was not tapped for a live interview with Paula Zahn following the forum, as many of the other candidates were. In a misunderstanding, campaign staffers erroneously believed Klein was at fault for the lack of invitation. Continuing the campaign’s crusade against “biased” media coverage, Kucinich sought Klein out and confronted him. “Whaddya mean? Listen, your people got this absolutely wrong. I was a guest on CNN. I have absolutely no say over who goes on the air,” Klein tried to explain. Kucinich then turned to his staffers and said, “He says he had no say in it,” but the staffers continued to goad Klein for ignoring the congressman. “Cut the crap,” Klein cut them off. “What I said was I have say over what goes in my column and I’m not going to interview you for my column. I’m sorry. I’ve got only so much space for so many candidates.” “I’m not confronting you,” Kucinich said, but he continued to press for an answer on why he was being shut out from CNN and, now, Time. “I think your position on the most important issue facing this country is totally irresponsible,” Klein told Kucinich as the candidate continued to argue his point. In terms of the war, Klein tried to explain that Kucinich isn’t the only candidate he disagrees with, but it was falling on the campaign’s deaf ears. “In fact the only one telling the truth right now is Lieberman,” Klein said. “We do need more troops on the ground. Everybody else is taking this position of convenience, which is popular with the Democratic base.” “Just saying ‘U.N. in, U.S. out’ won’t work because the U.N. ain’t coming,” Klein shot back before walking away from Kucinich, who continued to spar before ending with, “So you should interview me about that sometime, Joe.”
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