Green Party Presidential Candidate Addresses Issues Major Parties Ignore

Interview with David Cobb, Green Party presidential candidate, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Before John Kerry and George Bush held their third presidential debate, the Green Party published its list of a dozen issues and views it said had been censored from the debates by the two major candidates. Included on the list were positions advocating an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, criticism of attacks on civil liberties under the Patriot Act, rethinking the failed war on drugs, reversing the trend toward concentration of media ownership, support for a single-payer health care program and more. The Greens charged that these issues and points of view were not heard in the debates because the Republican and Democratic candidates are on the same side, in stark contrast to positions advocated by the Green Party.

David Cobb, an attorney from Texas won the Green Party presidential nomination after a hotly contested race with Ralph Nader who had sought the party's endorsement. Regarding the war in Iraq, Cobb says that if elected, he would immediately apologize to the Iraqi people for the war and announce the withdrawal of U.S. troops. He would ask the United Nations to convene a pan-Arabic peace summit, inviting the civil society leadership of Iraq to attend -- not the government installed by President Bush -- to decide if they want a peacekeeping force under U.N. auspices. Lastly, Cobb says he would direct the billions of dollars in re-construction funds currently going to U.S. contractors to Iraqi companies and workers instead.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with David Cobb about some of the other issues he says have been neglected in the 2004 presidential campaign.

For more information, call his campaign toll free at 1-866-41-GREEN or visit his website at www.votecobb.org

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