Dennis Kucinich and UFOs

It seems that practically everyone knows about the Kucinich UFO "debate" question by now. I put "debate" in quotes because, as Mac Tonnies said, only here in the US does that pathetic display count as a debate. But, that's not the point, and I'll save that rant for a moment when I'm feeling more like arguing politics.

If you haven't seen it, here it is below:



For now, I'd like to stick to the reasoning behind the question, and the fallout from it. There's quite a few people out there basically giving the old "any publicity is good publicity" line on what it's going to mean for UFOs and the mainstream.

Generally, I can't disagree with that. There's going to be some people who realize that the UFO enigma is real for the first time after hearing that a presidential candidate saw a UFO and they'll go on to tell others, etc. I think Paul Kimball made some good points on the subject.

However, the way the question was asked, the forum it was asked in, and the way that Russert jumped in with stats of his own reeks of political sabotage. Now, lets not harbor any illusions that Kucinich was going to the White House for anything other than a visit. He wasn't, and he isn't. My own belief is that it's mostly because he's too decent and honest to be a politician, and we like our politicians slick and sleazy around these parts, but that's another post for another day.

So, why do I think Kucinich was asked that at this point? Because we're getting down to the "traditional" presidential race time. The final year is when the "real" candidates separate themselves and move on, and the rest fall back and drop out to make way for them.

I think, basically, Kucinich was the slowest prey in the herd. Russert took him down with the easiest way to make him seem like a wacko possible. He brought up UFOs. You can't believe in UFOs, or anything else for that matter beyond what your publicist tells you is OK, in the two party system. It's a joke, it's broken, but, once again, arguing the two party system is another debate for another day.

I was actually proud of the way Kucinich handled himself. He didn't lie, he said he saw it, and he deftly pointed out that it was an unidentified object in the air, not an alien mothership. I imagine that subtle point was lost on about 80% of americans, but that's not his fault. He tried to explain, and get in a shot at Bush at the same time, but he was basically shouted down by Russert, who interjected himself into Kucinich's time with stats.

My question at this point was, and still is, what is the "moderator" doing with stats of his own that he's throwing out there while a candidate is trying to talk? When Hillary Clinton throws out a stat about health care does Russert have the latest polls ready to throw back in her face? I mean, the poor guy only had 30 seconds to try to explain why he's not crazy to begin with, trying to talk over a suddenly rowdy crowd as well as the moderator doesn't help.

The guy was thrown under the bus in an effort to try to get him to drop out of the race, I believe.

I'm sure most people really don't care. Like I said, he wasn't going to win anyway, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who thinks he would. However, it was a political cheap shot and one that Russert should be ashamed of.

Like him or not, Kucinich actually brings a lot of knowledge, outside the box thinking, and political experience to the debates. He's not afraid to talk about subjects that other candidates won't touch, and he's honest and willing to talk real life. I think that's something that we should all demand more of in our politicians and is particularly necessary in these phony staged events called debates.

In the end, will this help people understand the UFO enigma? Maybe. Probably not. A few more people might begin to realize that there's something going on, but it's more likely to stir up dissent and mocking from those who can't believe and won't think about it. I sincerely hope something good comes from this, but it probably killed one presidential run dead in its tracks, possibly killed one political career, and even managed to make a mockery of what was already a shameful "debate" system in my mind.