By Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, Ph.D.

In the first debate among the Democratic presidential hopefuls on national TV on Thursday, April 26th, one candidate stood out, Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich, not only for his clarity, sharp-mindedness and thoughtful responses to important questions beguiling the American foreign policy today, but also for his height.  Commenting on Kucinich's disadvantage compared to the rest of the pack, CNN's Larry King commented "oh, if only Kucinich was six foot two."
  

With the average height of Americans barely above five foot eight inches, Larry King's comment must surely come as offensive and discriminatory to millions of Americans who are, in fact, the majority population and in the same height category as Kucinich.   Larry King's comment may have been innocent, but it betrays something larger, and uglier, about the 'mediatization' of American politics, decried by Kucinich during the debate, when he pointedly reminded the audience that "this is not American idol, we are here to choose a president."

Yet, it is doubtful that anyone in the American media would listen to that advice. A Fox TV commentator compared Kucinich to an American idol contestant and said "he has no chance."  Clearly, the right-wing media has no love for a leading anti-war voice in national politics, who has courageously introduced a bill to impeach the vice-president, Dick Cheney, and who has warned against another catastrophic war -- against Iran.

The more liberal media, on the other hand, are still lagging behind in their discovery of the "Kucinich phenomenon," i.e., the fact that here is a serious, articulate candidate with a clear vision, on how to fix things with Washington's relations with the rest of the world, and unlike Obama or Clinton, is not afraid to speak his mind. 

Thus the Kucinich factor in the coming Democratic primaries:  On both substantive issues, such as with respect to Iraq and his prescriptions for a UN security role in Iraq and the necessity for a timetable for troop withdrawal combined with engagement with America's Middle East rivals, i.e., Iran and Syria, Kucinich is also important on the more sublime matter of physical size.

In fact, Kucinich is the same height as a former Democratic candidate, Michael Dukakis, who was dumped down by the media for being shorter than his Republican rival, and probably lost quite a few vote as a result.  But, unlike Dukakis who evaded the subject and, per some reports, resorted to higher heel shoes, Kucinich would have none of that and is bold enough to tackle the subliminal politics of appearances head on.  In so doing, Kucinich is actually doing a major service to the semi-disenfranchised short or average Americans, seen unfit for high offices due to their height disadvantage.

But, really, what disadvantage is there in not being six feet or taller? The answer is none whatsoever and, in fact, by choosing an average height next President, America would, perceptually speaking, close its gap with the rest of the world, since most of the world's population is shorter than five foot five inches.  A post-hegemonic America is better served by a person whom the others can identify with in every respect, and the 'height complex' of the American media has so far kept a blind eye on this issue. 

... Payvand News - 4/28/07 ...