DURHAM — Before Dennis Kucinich took the floor in the Memorial Union Building at the University of New Hampshire Wednesday night, supporters passed out cards that showed him as a teenager in 1960 with his high school football team.



Standing in the center of a black-and-white photograph, clutching his helmet, Kucinich, the third-string quarterback, stood 4-feet, 9-inches tall — he didn't reach his teammates' shoulders.



Now 5-feet, 7-inches tall, Kucinich could be considered the fourth-string Democratic candidate. In a Rasmussen Report poll conducted at the end of October, he was tied with Bill Richardson for fourth in the New Hampshire presidential primary.



But Wednesday night in front of about 70 people, Kucinich acknowledged he's often overlooked, especially at debates. That hasn't deterred him from hammering home a hallmark of his campaign — the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.



Standing in front of a poster that had the preamble to the U.S. Constitution grafted over a painting of George Washington — the theme of his visit to UNH was the Constitution — Kucinich said Cheney has violated his oath of office and should be impeached under the Constitution for "leading the country into an illegal war with Iraq" and "beating the drums of war against Iran."



"The Constitution is our protection," he said, and impeachment "is a process that's put into the Constitution to have a balance of power."

On Nov. 6, Kucinich introduced an impeachment resolution to the House of Representatives.



"It was not done lightly," Kucinich said.



The House voted for the resolution to be referred for review by the Judicial Committee.



"If Democrats really stood for the Constitution, we could have impeached the vice president," he said.



Kucinich is preparing another impeachment resolution he said is more than 300 pages long.



"It's gonna go down with a (bang) ... " Kucinich said, pounding the podium for emphasis.



Throughout his hourlong speech, Kucinch spoke of the country in terms of disorder and fear.



"Things are out of control now," he said. "This is a very dangerous period."



Americans are covered in a "cloak of fear," he said.



Kucinich cited a line from "The Second Coming" by Irish poet William Butler Yeats to describe the state of the country: Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.



"We were dragged into a war in Iraq based on lies and we're about to be dragged into another war with Iran," he said.



After his initial discussion of the Constitution and impeachment, Kucinich fielded questions from the audience and discussed topics ranging from other presidential candidates to the state of the American media.



Kucinich said he admires Republican candidate Ron Paul and wishes Mike Gravel would be included in more Democratic debates. He said he himself is often passed over for questions in debates, such as the one in Las Vegas Nov. 15.



Kucinich said he gets overlooked because he's "underestimated" by the American media.



"As far as (the media) is concerned, there's only three candidates (Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards). If I break into third place, then there will be two," he joked.



Kucinich said there is a lack of unique voices in the American media and called some reporters who covered Washington in the run-up to the Iraq war "stenographers" for the White House.



"The press can play a vital role if it questions the government," he said, emphasizing the word "if."



Leah Baver, a senior at Oyster River High School, attended the talk with her friend, Nora Armstrong.



"I came in knowing nothing. I had a tendency to write (Kucinich) off," said Baver, who also has heard John Edwards and Ron Paul speak. "I thought I liked Edwards but know I like Kucinich."



Baver said Kucinich "didn't reek of politician" and "seemed more human" than other candidates.



"I think he was the most sincere (candidate)," said Jessica Locke, who lives in Cambridge, Mass. "He walks his talk."



As for impeaching Cheney, Jesse Beightol, who lives in Dover, said "it's a worthwhile cause" that would "set a precedent for future administrations."



Vanessa Bennett, a member of the Students for Kucinch group at UNH that organized the event, said Kucinich has "a lot of support on campus."



She feels good about Kucinch's chances to win the primary, even though he's currently fourth in the New Hampshire polls.



"I support him so much I have to believe he can do it," she said.



