Kucinich's Backroom Political Deal
In a previous report, I described how I observed Kucinich delegates trying (and failing) to screw Dean out of delegates in the Iowa Caucus. Now that report has made it to the national Democratic Debate that is taking place this very moment on Fox. I have transcribed the question, and Kucinich's non-response:
Q: Congressman Kucinich, I have a question from Cheryl Zettner, she's in New Hampshire, this is what she says. She says, "why did you cut a deal to send voters to the Edwards camp if you didn't meet the 15% threshold in Iowa?" She's angry, she says Edwards supported the war and the Patriot act.I talked to Edwards caucusgoers after he was declared unviable, and asked them to come to my table. They all flatly refused, some even flatly refused to acknowledge my request. So now everyone knows it was a backroom deal arranged before the Caucus, and Kucinich doesn't have the guts to admit it. Even worse, Kucinich's weaseling out of a direct answer is considered honesty by the press.
Kucinich: [unintelligible]
Q: Before you continue, is your party divided over the war?
Kucinich: Of course it is, course it is. I mean, I took the position of organizing a hundred and twenty six Democrats who voted against the Iraq War resolution, and I happen to think it was the right position. Today, we're faced with over five hundred casualties, a cost of over two hundred billion dollars and it could rise, the casualties could go into the thousands and the cost could go over a half trillion if we stay there for years as a number of people on this stage intend to see happen. Well let me tell you something. Uh, we, there is a difference of opinion in our party, and I stand uh strong and proud in saying it's time that we get the uh, UN, uh peacekeepers in and bring our troops home. And I've offered a plan to do that and I mentioned earlier.
Now with respect to what uh happened in Iowa, uh let me state this. That if I was looking for someone to pair up with under the Iowa Caucus system based on who I agreed with, I wouldn't have had anyone to agree with because, er, because the fact of the matter is I had a really diff- a great difference of opinion, having been the only one on this stage who voted against the war and the patriot act, but I, I, John Edwards and I are friends, and one, one thing we agreed on in Iowa is that we both wanted more delegates. That's what we agreed on.
Q: I, I have no followup, for your honesty, thank you.