Kucinich touts courage, judgment
By Peter Sutters
psutters@seacoastonline.com
November 23, 2007 6:00 AM
PORTSMOUTH — Answering questions by reading passages from his book, presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich sought to connect his poverty-stricken upbringing with his ability to make tough decisions.
"If you read this book, one of the things you'll figure out is, because of the way I grew up, in a tough situation, it has created in me a kind of steeliness, an ability to take a stand against the odds," said Kucinich at the RiverRun Bookstore. "To have the clarity in the moment not to be pushed and just to do the right thing, you learn that in a life time; you learn courage over a life time."
The remarks came after Kucinich took a swipe at his fellow democratic rivals on their past votes for the authorization of the war in Iraq or subsequent votes approving funding for the war, saying, "You're electing judgment when you're electing a president, you're not electing a smile, a gliding hand, a floating image. You're electing the judgment of a person. Out of all the candidates, it was the judgment that I demonstrated in a moment of crisis that showed the capacity to take America in the right direction.
"The others haven't shown that. They were wrong about the war. Some of them led the effort for the war, some led the effort for the Patriot Act, and at least one said he was opposed to the war before the war, but then when he got to the Senate, he voted with Senator Clinton almost 100 percent of the time," said Kucinich.
A mostly friendly crowd jammed into the book store listening to Kucinich read from his book, answer a few questions and then sit to sign copies of his book, "The Courage To Survive."
"I thought his talk was good," said Naoufal Souitat. "His story makes you feel like he is one of us. He didn't have a special upbringing."
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