Richard Cohen wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece several weeks ago:

“'Liar' is a word rarely used in Washington. This is not because the town lacks liars but because the word is so unambiguous — so lacking in customary fudge — that its use was long ago forbidden by, of course, consensus. So it was particularly shocking, not to mention refreshing, to hear Richard Perle on Sunday call Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) a liar to his face. I paused to see if the Washington Monument would crack down the middle.”

“It did not. Moreover, Kucinich himself seemed only momentarily fazed by Perle’s sharp right to his integrity and went on, indomitable demagogue that he seems to be, to maintain that the coming war with Iraq will be fought to control that nation’s oil. Kucinich, a presidential candidate, has made this charge before, and when Tim Russert asked him on “Meet the Press” to back it up, here is what he said:

“'I base that on the fact that there is $ 5 trillion worth of oil above and in the ground in Iraq, that individuals involved in the administration have been involved in the oil industry, that the oil industry would certainly benefit from having the administration control Iraq, and that the fact is that, since no other case has been made to go to war against Iraq, … oil represents the strongest incentive.'”Rep. Kucinich is running for president and it is significant that the opinion-makers in Washington believe he is enough of a threat to take him on in the pages of the Washington Post.

Today, Rep. Kucinich joins us in our studio to discuss his campaign–including his views on abortion, the Democratic Party and the war in Iraq.

• Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH).