Kucinich tells airport audience he's in Demo race to win

Judging from his meager primary results and his scant national-media coverage, Dennis Kucinich seems to have about as much chance at winning the Democratic presidential nomination as Wile E. Coyote has of catching the Road Runner.

Heading into Utah's primary vote Tuesday, the Ohio congressman is standing fourth in a two-man race.

But during a brief visit to the Salt Lake City International Airport on Sunday, Kucinich became animated when asked why he's still hanging around despite the unfavorable outlook.

"I didn't ask the national media for permission to run for president," he said.

Kucinich reminded his 50 or so poster-carrying and vocal supporters and attending local media at a press conference that Howard Dean was ahead only two months ago. The former Vermont governor has since ended his bid. And Kucinich isn't about to follow suit.

"This race is not decided," he said. "There's plenty of opportunity. I'm in it to win it."

Kucinich compared the long presidential campaign to "Survivor," saying 10 people were initially on the campaign island but now only four remain — himself, Sens. John Kerry, D-Ma., and John Edwards, D-N.C., and Rev. Al Sharpton.

"I want everyone to hear this loud and clear," he said. "The trees will be gone from this island before I leave this race."

Aside from insisting he's here to stay, Kucinich delivered a tailored message regarding what he called "specific issues which affect the people of Utah."

After asking a half-dozen young children to stand next to him at the podium, Kucinich shared his disgust with the U.S. government planning to devote money and technology to resume nuclear weapon testing in Nevada.

"It constitutes a real danger to peace in the world and a physical danger to people in Nevada as well as in Utah," he said. "As president of the United States, I will put an end to all of this testing."

He wanted Utah children by him, he said, to remind everyone about how citizens lived in fear as the country built up its weapons stockpile in the Cold War. He said he would not only renew the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty and strike a deal with Russia, but he'd end testing and destroy all nuclear weapons.

"You want to know about weapons of mass destruction? They're here at home and we're going to get rid of them," he said. "We do not want children of this state to have to go back to the duck-and-cover drills."