Kucinich never had a hope in hell of winning his party's primary series and running for president on the Democratic ticket. He was way too far outside the unofficial guidelines for what you are supposed to say when running for president in 2008, and neither the public nor the party machine would ever have given him majority support.

So it wasn't that they feared him actually winning the top spot. No. What they feared was that he would embarrass the other Democrats who were contending for the top spot and make them look bad for having such lacklustre actual policies and past record on matters like opposing the war in Iraq, for example.

He would screw up the whole impression that was to be created in the public's mind if he did that, so he had to be shut out of the process.

If not shut out of the process he could have had much useful effect, I think, but he'd never have won the top spot. No chance.

I have no problem with him supporting Obama now. That's okay with me. It could have been better than that, but that's life.

He backed out of the election so early because the Republicans started pouring simply incredible amounts of money into his local area to knock him out of his Senate seat, and he had to give up the national campaign and go and fight for political survival on his own home turf. And that process is continuing. They want him out of office because he is pushing a Congressional motion to impeach Bush and Cheney for illegal and unconstitutional actions in regards to the war in Iraq, and he won't quit. That has made him number one man on their national hit list (politically speaking, I mean). They want Kucinich gone for good.

He is the one thing that Washington WILL not tolerate: a man of principle.