Saturday, May 22, 2004

Kucinich: Bush's Support of Rumsfeld 'Misses the Whole Point'
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2004

Contact: Matt Harris, (216) 403-3980, press@kucinich.us, Terre Lundy, (515) 988-5534

President Bush's endorsement today of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld "misses the whole point of the growing outcry from people all over the world regarding what's happening in Iraq," Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said today.

"Who is or isn't the secretary of defense is not the issue," said Kucinich. "It's the war that's wrong. The policy of this administration is wrong. As long as Bush is in the White House, it doesn't matter who's in the Pentagon. Nothing will change -ˆ except that it will get worse."

Kucinich, campaigning in Oregon, said continuing promises from the Administration "to do whatever it takes" represent "a formula for turning a disaster into a catastrophe."

"Every day we stay there, there are more deaths and more horror stories," Kucinich said. "There was no credible, justifiable, or honorable reason for invading Iraq in the first place. For the President, the Secretary, and other members of the Bush War Council to vow that the United States will remain there 'until the job is done' is outrageous. What job? Who defines 'done'?"

Kucinich said the debate over coalition mistreatment and torture of Iraqi detainees, over the size and firepower of U.S. forces there, and over the growing financial costs "is the wrong debate. We should be debating how soon we can bring this nightmare to an end and bring our troops home."

Last year, early in his campaign, Kucinich, who led the opposition on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to the 2002 war authorization resolution, laid out a 10-point plan to end U.S. involvement in Iraq. Some elements of his exit strategy, including substantial U.N. involvement in developing an interim government and managing Iraqi assets and reconstruction contracts, have been embraced by political leaders in both parties in recent months.

For information about the National campaign: http://www.kucinich.us

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.

To schedule an interview with Kucinich or a spokesperson: jonathans@kucinich.us

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