Kucinich presses UN involvement in Iraq
Originally published in the Star Telegram
Posted on Tue, Dec. 23, 2003
Kucinich Presses U.N. Involvement in Iraq
PATRICIA L. GARCIA
Associated Press
MESILLA, N.M. - Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said Tuesday the United States needs the United Nations to develop a constitution for Iraq and warned that America cannot be the only nation calling the shots to rebuild the country.
"We must give up the ambition of operating the country of Iraq by remote control, and when we do that, we'll take another step in developing a new constitution and governance in Iraq," Kucinich told about 150 supporters at a rally. "We must renounce any interest in the privatization of Iraq."
The Ohio congressman said a policy of taking over in other countries makes the United States less safe because other countries will take a more active approach to protect their borders.
"My presidency will be about working with the world community, will be about the need for focusing on the need for peace and getting rid of all nuclear weapons," he said.
Kucinich charged that the North American Free Trade Agreement has cost American jobs and also criticized the World Trade Organization.
"My first act in office, numero uno, would be to cancel NAFTA and the WTO and go back to bilateral trade conditioned on workers' rights and environmental quality principles," he said. "We must recognize the effect NAFTA has had on El Paso (Texas) and communities around the country. We need a whole new approach to trade, and that begins with the cancellation of NAFTA."
Kucinich and other Democratic candidates have made numerous stops in New Mexico, whose profile has been raised on the national scene by its Feb. 3 Democratic caucus.
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Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is being criticized for his response to a questionnaire from an Iowa newspaper that critics contend implied his brother was in the military.
Dean said the dispute is overblown, arguing he's repeatedly spelled out his brother's fate as a civilian captured by U.S. enemies in Southeast Asia.
The issue arose when the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, sent a survey to Democratic presidential candidates asking them to complete the sentence "My closest living relative in the armed services is ..." Dean responded to the question by telling the story of his brother, Charles.
Charles Dean was 23 when disappeared while touring Laos 29 years ago. His body was discovered last month. He did not serve in the military, and the newspaper said Dean's reply "certainly is not an accurate response."
"Charlie Dean's capture and death in Southeast Asia certainly shaped his brother's opinion about the American military," an editorial in Sunday's edition said. The newspaper went on to explain that Charles Dean had opposed the Vietnam War and was visiting Laos as part of a trip around the world.
"Knowing that story tells us something about the candidate," the editorial said. "So does inaccurately implying a direct family connection to the armed services for the 72,000 Quad Citians who received Sunday's newspaper."
Dean wrote a letter to the newspaper saying he was "deeply offended" by the newspaper's position, arguing that his brother's story is widely known and there was no effort to mislead readers.
Dean has spoken in detail about his brother's fate and said it would be impossible to conclude from his answer that he was attempting to link his brother to military service.
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Terry Anderson, the former journalist who was held hostage for six years in Lebanon, says he is considering a run for the Ohio Senate because he is concerned about Republican lawmakers' policies.
Anderson, who operates a horse ranch and owns restaurants in Athens, said he'll decide soon whether to run next year for the 20th District Senate seat. Its most recent occupant, Jim Carnes of St. Clairsville, resigned earlier this month to join the Department of Natural Resources. Carnes can't run again because of term limits.
Joy Padgett, a former House lawmaker and the director of Gov. Bob Taft's Office of Appalachian Ohio, is pursuing the Republican nomination and plans to apply to fill Carnes' seat in the interim.
Anderson resigned in 2001 as director of Ohio University's Institute for International Journalism. He was bureau chief for The Associated Press in Beirut when he was kidnapped in 1985.
Republicans hold a 22-11 majority in the Ohio Senate.
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