Kucinich on Gore and Dean
The following is a press release from December 9, 2003, by the Kucinich campaign
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Kucinich on Gore and Dean
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2003
Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich today released the following statement:
"Al Gore's endorsement of Howard Dean is further evidence that the only electable candidates in this race are the ones who opposed the Bush administration's illegal and unjust war in Iraq. Candidates who chose to stand with George W. Bush in the most consequential vote of the last decade will continue to struggle as the casualties and cost of our misadventure in Iraq escalate.
"To the surprise of some in the media, the list of candidates who will soon struggle over their record on the war and occupation will include Dr. Dean himself.
"In fact, a new flyer mailed out by the Dean campaign in Iowa raises concerns about a pattern of misrepresentation.
"Because the honesty of the administration will be a major issue in the coming election, it is essential for any potential Democratic nominee to try to be straightforward.
"A close inspection of the factual record reveals that Dr. Dean, during the buildup to the War on Iraq, spoke in favor of preemptive war. He said unilateral action might be unavoidable. Once the war started, he declined to challenge the President's actions.
"After the invasion, Dean called for a NATO-led effort and said 'A democratic transition will take between 18 to 24 months, although troops should expect to be in Iraq for a longer period.' Throughout the course of the occupation he said we're 'stuck' in Iraq and 'cannot leave.' On various occasions, including the presidential debates in New York and Phoenix, Dr. Dean supported spending another $87 billion on the occupation.
"On other occasions, including the most recent debate, Dean claimed to have opposed the $87 billion. The news media has chosen to ignore the obvious frequent discrepancies in Dr. Dean's public statements.
"I led the effort in the House of Representatives last year that challenged the Bush Administration's march toward war. Other presidential candidates also opposed the war.
"Dean ran television ads in New Hampshire last month claiming that his opponents had all supported the war and implying that he had opposed the increased spending. After I protested, he publicly recanted at an AFL-CIO meeting in New Hampshire and then stopped running the ads.
"Dean's new flyer says in bold at the top: 'Only Dean Opposed the War from the Start.' The flyer begins with the line 'Newsweek calls it "Bush's $87 Billion Mess."' The flyer claims that Dean has a plan for Iraq that differs substantially from President Bush's policies.
"We as Democrats running against a president who has taken us into a fraudulent war must not distort the records of our opponents if we are to challenge Bush on the issue of integrity.
"The media has an obligation to ask Dr. Dean to explain his mailing in Iowa."
The Dean campaign's flyer is available by fax on request.
For documentation of Dr. Dean's record on the war, see http://www.kucinich.us/antiwar.php
For more information: http://www.kucinich.us
For Rep. Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.
Contact: David Swanson 301-772-0210, cell 202-329-7847, fax 301-772-7293, swanson@kucinich.us
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