DES MOINES, Iowa - Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich said the collapse of resistance in Iraq and the potential of a relatively quick end to the war bolsters his hard-line opposition to the conflict.

"It makes it more compelling," said Kucinich, a Democrat who is vying for his party's presidential nomination. "That has enormous implications for the American people and is going to cost this nation heavily."

Kucinich spoke during a shortened campaign swing in Iowa, meeting on Sunday with church and community activists. His message was targeted directly at the war in Iraq.

"The American people are going to have to make a choice," said Kucinich, who argued that the soaring costs of the war coupled with tax cuts President Bush is pushing through Congress will rob the nation of the ability to deal with a long list of pressing domestic issues.

Kucinich said he'll continue to hammer on his opposition to the war, in part because he's worried that Bush will launch other attacks abroad.

"We have a promise to keep to the American people and we're not doing it if we're going around the world looking for wars to fight," Kucinich said.

Kucinich, who represents portions of Cleveland in Congress, dismissed polls showing that a broad base of Americans - 70 percent in some surveys - support the action against Iraq, warning that the full costs of the conflict haven't been driven home.

The only costs so far is a relatively modest supplemental spending bill proposed by Bush, but more will come, Kucinich said.

"I don't think the people really understand that the cost of this war is not reflected in this supplemental," he said. "The cost of this war is going to be the reconstruction and occupation."

Kucinich said his campaign theme will be "it's time for a new approach in America" and he said there's a yearning among voters to be given a clearer choice.

"If you go to the American people and say do you want to pay for war and tax cuts or do you want health care, they'll pick health care," he said. "The polls aren't asking that question and that's the way I'm going to pose the question in this election."

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press

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