Approximately 200 people congregated in the rain outside Dane County Airport to hear Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio outline his plan for the reconstruction in Iraq if elected president.

Kucinich walked on stage to the tune of “Imagine,” by John Lennon, reminding those who gathered that Madison was his fourth stop of the day during his three-day, 12-city tour.

“I know Madison is an important city because it is the city of progressive politics,” Kucinich said. “And I know this city is going to support me as I voice my opinion against the war in Iraq.”

Kucinich devoted a great deal of his speech to his desire to get the United States out of Iraq and put the United Nations in charge.

“We need to end occupation. Get the U.S. out and the U.N. in,” Kucinich said.

Kucinich is the only democratic president with an outlined plan of how to pull troops out of Iraq by the New Year holiday in a three-stage plan, according to the candidate’s website.

Kucinich said he would first give all administrative and security responsibilities to the United Nations, allowing the international coalition to administer Iraq’s oil revenue, as well as contract international organizations to fund the reconstruction of Iraq.

The candidate said he would give the United Nations the sole power in Iraq’s employment and budgetary concerns as well.

He also discussed saving jobs by preventing companies from moving their operations overseas. Kucinich stated that over the past two years, America has lost 57,000 manufacturing jobs.

“We need to uphold the rights of the workers. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. We need to fight for the workers’ rights,” he said.

Among those gathered was a spattering of University of Wisconsin students.

“I think Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate who has never changed his story. I like his ideas about universal healthcare and peace,” said UW senior Greg Diamond.

Senior Ann Marie Prekop said the candidate should broaden his focus.

“I think Kucinich has some really great ideas, but his main focus has been solely on the war in Iraq and I think he should try to concentrate on some other issues with the same amount of enthusiasm and attention,” she said.

The gathering began with introductory speeches by Madison Ald. Austin King, District 8, in which he pledged his support to raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.75, a cause Kucinich is very involved with.

“We need economic justice,” King said. “We need people to be able to support their families on the minimum wage. We need to challenge monopolies and stand up for America.”

Other speakers included Mimi Kennedy, who plays “Abby” on “Dharma and Greg.”

“We need to get out of Iraq. Peace has never been achieved through war, and we need a president who preaches non-violence,” Kennedy said.

University of Wisconsin political science professor Don Kettl said although Kucinich officially entered the race Monday, he still has a chance to become a prime contender. “[Kucinich] has been acting like a candidate for a while,” Kettl said. “There’s still time for him to stand out.”

Kettl speculated that Kucinich strategically waited until now to enter.

“[Kucinich] wants to do it at a time when he’ll get better attention,” Kettl said.

However, Kucinich has had difficulty raising money. This factor and his late bid give him an “uphill battle” according to Kettl.