[Sosfbay-discuss] AP Story on McKinney: Ex-Congresswoman Seeks Presidency

[Drew Johnson]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jSLbnUoFiYy5_bc59gZ5dJX5HflAD8TKR05G0
Ex-Congresswoman Seeks Presidency

By SHANNON McCAFFREY – 10 minutes ago

ATLANTA (AP) — Former Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who was ousted
from office last year after a headline-grabbing scuffle with a Capitol
Hill police officer, has decided to seek the presidency — as a Green Party
candidate.

In a video posted on the Internet on Tuesday, McKinney criticized the war
in Iraq and complained about Democrats and Republicans, saying both
parties are beholden to corrupt corporate interests. She called the Green
Party "my new political home."

McKinney, 52, registered to vote in California after a group called Run!
Cynthia! Run! began drafting her as the Green Party's candidate there.
Since then, she had made campaign appearances in Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa,
Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

In the more than seven-minute video first posted on her Web site on
Sunday, then on YouTube on Tuesday, McKinney had particularly harsh words
for her former party.

"The Democrats do not speak for us," she said. "The Democrats are no
different than their Republican counterparts."

McKinney served six terms representing a suburban Atlanta district but was
defeated in 2006 by DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson. She had been
the first black woman elected to Congress from Georgia.

One of her final acts in Congress was to introduce a bill to impeach
President Bush, saying he misled Congress into approving the war in Iraq
and violated the law by secretly spying on citizens. She once claimed Bush
had been warned of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

McKinney is one of at least seven Green Party candidates for president.
The party will select its presidential nominee at its July 10 convention
in Chicago.