Kucinich says campaign will gain strength

Invoking Shakespearean prose and likening himself to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat Dennis J. Kucinich said yesterday that he would prevail in his quest to be president and would move the United States away from a "quest for empire."

Kucinich acknowledged that his campaign had "a lot of distance to make up," but the Ohio representative told the Globe's editorial board that his support will build as voters realize that he reflects many of their views on policies that matter to their lives. At one point, he compared himself to the legendary racehorse Seabiscuit, saying he would come from way behind to win the nomination and eventually the White House.

"When people discover that I'm their candidate, look out," said Kucinich, who was accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth. "I'm ready today. I'm prepared. I don't need any on-the-job training."

In the hourlong interview, Kucinich, 60, said the United States should not act unilaterally and should pursue a policy of "strength through peace." As president, he said, he would meet with anybody, including the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"You need a president who could go to any group and say, 'Look, it's imperative that you take a different direction. You have to do this,' " he said.

Kucinich accused the Bush administration of committing a "monstrous crime" by going to war in Iraq, pointing to what he described as hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties and to questions about whether administration officials lied in making the case for war. Kucinich, who has called for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney, said US forces should immediately end their "occupation" of Iraq and said a multinational peacekeeping force should be brought in to help stabilize the country.

"As Shakespeare said: 'Hell is empty, and all the devils are here," he said, quoting from "The Tempest" and referring to the damage the war has inflicted and the "mercenaries" and private contractors working in the region.

Kucinich said he looked to the foreign policy of Jimmy Carter, whom the congressman said was the last president to demonstrate "fluency in being able to deal diplomatically with very serious crises."

On the domestic front, Kucinich emphasized two hallmarks of his campaign: developing a not-for-profit healthcare system based on Medicare and launching the "Works Green Administration," an infrastructure-building program modeled on Roosevelt's 1930s-era Works Progress Administration. Kucinich said his public works program would employ millions to equip homes with wind and solar energy and fix the nation's crumbling infrastructure.

Kucinich said he was the only candidate promoting true universal healthcare, saying many of his opponents had ties to special interest groups that compromised their ability to develop a sound healthcare plan.

"I cannot be bought or bossed," he added.

As he looks to 2008, Kucinich, famous for his unequivocal and longstanding opposition to the war in Iraq, faces an unexpected foe for his congressional seat. Rosemary Palmer, an antiwar activist and former Kucinich supporter who lost her son in Iraq, has criticized the representative, saying he has failed to use the power of his House seat to end the war.

Asked about her candidacy, Kucinich replied tersely, "Just to be very clear, I'm here to talk about my candidacy for president."