Kucinich tells debate crowd he wouldn't order bin Laden assassination
from the Plain Dealer
Posted by Sabrina Eaton June 04, 2007 12:46PM
Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich spent the weekend campaigning for president in New Hampshire, where he participated in a Sunday night debate among Democratic candidates at St. Anselm's College and addressed a state Democratic Party convention.
Kucinich set himself apart from the other candidates during the nationally televised debate when moderator Wolf Blitzer of CNN asked whether Kucinich would launch a missile strike against Osama bin Laden if he knew the terrorist leader would be at a target in Pakistan for 20 minutes and that innocent civilians would also be killed.
"I don't think that a president of the United States who believes in peace and who wants to create peace in the world is going to be using assassination as a tool, because when you do that, it comes back at your country," said Kucinich, adding that bin Laden should be tried for his crimes in an international court. A video of the exchange has been posted on YouTube.
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama lacked such reservations.
"I don't believe in assassinations, but Osama bin Laden has declared war on us, killed 3,000 people, and under existing law, including international law, when you've got a military target like bin Laden, you take him out," he said.
All the other candidates raised their hands when asked whether they'd authorize a missile strike under those circumstances, although some offered qualifications.
"That is very difficult to answer in the abstract," said New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who noted that a missile strike authorized by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, failed to kill bin Laden. "If we could do it without a tremendous amount of collateral damage, I think maybe with one or two exceptions, we would give the order to do it, knowing what a weighty responsibility that is."
Kucinich's presidential campaign posted highlights of his Saturday speech before New Hampshire's Democratic party on YouTube. An account of the event in the Concord Monitor newspaper reported that Kucinich, despite his low poll numbers, "perhaps rallied the most enthusiasm, drawing several sustained ovations from the crowd."
After that speech, an enthusiastic Kucinich gave a video interview to BuckeyeStateBlog, where he discussed his Ohio campaign operation. Saying that he has "a very strong base in Ohio," Kucinich said the issues he'll pursue in the state include opposing NAFTA and protecting the state's industrial base.
"There is no other candidate running for president who has the understanding of Ohio that I have, and frankly there might not be many that have the understanding of New Hampshire that I have, which is why I got the response I got," Kucinich told the blog.
Posted by Sabrina Eaton June 04, 2007 12:46PM
Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich spent the weekend campaigning for president in New Hampshire, where he participated in a Sunday night debate among Democratic candidates at St. Anselm's College and addressed a state Democratic Party convention.
Kucinich set himself apart from the other candidates during the nationally televised debate when moderator Wolf Blitzer of CNN asked whether Kucinich would launch a missile strike against Osama bin Laden if he knew the terrorist leader would be at a target in Pakistan for 20 minutes and that innocent civilians would also be killed.
"I don't think that a president of the United States who believes in peace and who wants to create peace in the world is going to be using assassination as a tool, because when you do that, it comes back at your country," said Kucinich, adding that bin Laden should be tried for his crimes in an international court. A video of the exchange has been posted on YouTube.
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama lacked such reservations.
"I don't believe in assassinations, but Osama bin Laden has declared war on us, killed 3,000 people, and under existing law, including international law, when you've got a military target like bin Laden, you take him out," he said.
All the other candidates raised their hands when asked whether they'd authorize a missile strike under those circumstances, although some offered qualifications.
"That is very difficult to answer in the abstract," said New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who noted that a missile strike authorized by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, failed to kill bin Laden. "If we could do it without a tremendous amount of collateral damage, I think maybe with one or two exceptions, we would give the order to do it, knowing what a weighty responsibility that is."
Kucinich's presidential campaign posted highlights of his Saturday speech before New Hampshire's Democratic party on YouTube. An account of the event in the Concord Monitor newspaper reported that Kucinich, despite his low poll numbers, "perhaps rallied the most enthusiasm, drawing several sustained ovations from the crowd."
After that speech, an enthusiastic Kucinich gave a video interview to BuckeyeStateBlog, where he discussed his Ohio campaign operation. Saying that he has "a very strong base in Ohio," Kucinich said the issues he'll pursue in the state include opposing NAFTA and protecting the state's industrial base.
"There is no other candidate running for president who has the understanding of Ohio that I have, and frankly there might not be many that have the understanding of New Hampshire that I have, which is why I got the response I got," Kucinich told the blog.
posted by Mark G Pogue at 8:33 PM
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