Just when you thought Dennis Kucinich couldn’t possibly get any stranger…

From the AP:

A Nevada judge said Monday that Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich must be included in Tuesday’s candidates’ debate in Nevada.

Senior Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson said if Kucinich is excluded, he’ll issue an injunction stopping the televised debate.

The judge sided with a lawyer for the Ohio congressman, who says debate host MSNBC at first invited Kucinich to take part and then told him last week he couldn’t.

A lawyer for the network said MSNBC decided to go with the top three candidates after the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.

The judge called it a matter of fairness and said Nevada voters will benefit if they hear from more than just Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

The cable network and the Democratic Party are calling the 9 p.m. EST debate a chance to hear issues from Nevada’s minority communities. Tim Russert and Brian Williams are moderating.

I don’t agree with the man’s politics, but I admire his effort. Good for him, he should be allowed to participate.

-Samantha Giles

Dennis Kucinich said this:

“I’m thinking about Ron Paul” as a running mate, Kucinich told a crowd of about 70 supporters at a house party here, one of numerous stops throughout New Hampshire over the Thanksgiving weekend. A Kucinich-Paul administration could bring people together “to balance the energies in this country,” Kucinich said.

The Paul campaign responded with this:

“Dr. Paul and Rep. Kucinich are friends and there is a lot of mutual respect,” Paul communications director Jesse Benton said in an e-mail when asked whether a running-mate spot on the Kucinich ticket would be attractive to Paul. “They have worked, and will continue to work, together on ending the war and protecting civil liberties.

“However, Ron wants to substantially cut the size and scope of the federal government. There are too many differences on issues such as taxes and spending to think a joint ticket would be possible.”

I’ve always said that Ron Paul’s rhetoric is damn near identical to the rhetoric on the far left. Now Ron Paul has what amounts to an endorsement by the most far left candidate in the race.

-Chris Jones 

Larry Flynt will host a fundraising event benefiting the presidential campaign of Dennis Kucinich, tonight at Hustler-LFP headquarters in Los Angeles.The party is the first time Flynt has hosted a political fundraiser, though he is politically active and has attended many similar events in the past.

Flynt, Hustler-LFP founder and longtime Kucinich supporter, said, “I support Dennis Kucinich because not only have I been a friend of his for 40 years, but I believe he offers an essential, viable and exciting option to the candidates that are more popular at the moment.”

Flynt with his wife and the host committee are throwing the fundraiser. The list of committee members includes several mainstream personalities including Woody Harrelson, Ed Norton, Sean and Robin Wright Penn, Frances Fisher, Stephen and Kristen Stills, Melissa and Tammy Etheridge, Esai Morales, Thom and Gail Steinbeck, Michael Des Barrs, Amy Smart, Shelley Morrison, Jodie Evans and Max Palevsky.

The evening will consist of a cocktail reception, and both Kucinich and Flynt will speak during the event. Approximately 150 contributors are expected to attend.

I think Dennis Kucinich is a kook, but I applaud his willingness to allow the adult industry to be apart of the political process. I think it’s unfortunate that most Republicans and Democrats refuse donations at least publicly from the dreaded “porn industry.” The adult entertainment industry is a legal business in the United States and represent a significant portion of California’s economy.

The adult industry is not just made up of performers or so-called “pornstars,” but of college educated professionals that in many cases run multi-million dollar companies. Yet these businesses and their leaders are treated like second class citizens, because some people find there job kinda “icky.”

We need to move forward in this country and stop vilifying the adult entertainment industry and those who work in it.

-Chris Jones

House Republicans on Tuesday prevented Democratic leaders from blocking a resolution to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney.

The vote to table the privileged resolution, offered by Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinch, began as a largely party-line vote to kill the measure, but Republicans developed a strategy to force Democrats to debate the resolution by supporting Kucinich. GOP leaders felt as though it was in their interest to debate the measure because it would make Democrats look bad.

After more than an hour of waiting for the vote to close, the motion to table the resolution failed by a vote of 162-251.

In Shirley MacLaine’s new book, the actress and longtime friend of Dennis Kucinich tells an interesting story about the Congressman. She claims that during a visit to her home in Washington state, Kucinich said he saw a UFO and heard messages from it.

“Dennis found his encounter extremely moving,” MacLaine writes. “The smell of roses drew him out to my balcony where, when he looked up, he saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent, and observing him.

“It hovered, soundless, for 10 minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn’t comprehend. He said he felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind.”

That explains a lot.

-Chris Jones