So, at least in the corner of the internet where I was, in the leadup to the 2004 Democratic primaries there was this tendency where the "progressive"-minded voters generally supported Dean, but occasionally added "but if I could, I'd support Kucinich". Now, given, nobody I encountered took Kucinich seriously as a candidate either in the primary or for the general, and some of the people who "supported" him didn't even like him as much as some of the other candidates. (This is not to say that people who supported Kucinich seriously did not exist; this is just to say I did not encounter such people myself.) But Kucinich got recognition and possibly respect for being the one person campaigning for the Democratic nomination who seemed to be leaning as far to the left as possible, the only person willing to take the purely "liberal" stance on several issues-- even though nobody took him seriously for any other reason. (Though technically he wasn't the only one with these stances: For some reason Carol Moseley Braun, the other candidate who openly supported gay marriage, never really seemed to come up.)

This time around, Kucinich seems to be shaping up to take that same spot again by default. However, it's worth noting he's not the only option: Mike Gravel, former Democratic Senator from Alaska, is also running in 2008, and has nearly as many and possibly more hardcore-left views and credentials as Kucinich does. So, the question arises: Who should get the Kucinich slot in this electoral primary? Dennis Kucinich? Or Mike Gravel?

I have my own opinions on this, but rather than giving them here I'd rather ask for yours: If you were in the unlikely position of being able to actually support Kucinich or Gravel for President, which would you prefer and why? Please answer in terms of who you'd rather have for President, not in terms of who you'd rather have as the Democratic nominee in a general election-- neither is winning the primary anyway.