Kucinich to run for U.S. president

December 11, 2006

American politician of the Democratic party Dennis Kucinich plans to run for president in 2008 the five-term congressman's spokesman, Andy Juniewicz, said Monday. Kucinich ran in 2004 and was last in nearly every primary and caucus of that year.

Kucinich began his political career as a Cleveland city councilman and later as the youngest person ever elected mayor of the Midwestern city.

The congressman made his decision to run, according to a written statement, because he felt his own party's leadership was not aggressive enough in opposing the.

Kucinich, 60, is a staunch opponent of the Iraq war. He has advocated cutting off funds for the war, saying that voting for money to maintain or expand the war is incompatible with a position of opposition to it.

He also co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is a self-described " Democrat." He has been praised as "a genuine progressive" by a and in 2003, Kucinich was the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award.

If elected, he would be the country's first president.