Opinion: What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?*

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Well, if you’re going to be against war, you may as well be for peace, right? Staffers for Democratic presidential contender Dennis Kucinich e-mailed this week to remind that of all the candidates out there -- both major parties could field a basketball team with a deep bench -- only Kucinich has proposed legislation to create a new Cabinet-level department dedicated to peace: the Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

Nothing new here. Kucinich introduced a similar measure in the last session of Congress, but it never got out of committee. That’s Congress-speak for ‘What, are you kidding?’ But it’s good politics, helping bolster Kucinich’s ‘let’s just get along’ theme -- which so far has placed him at the head of a very short parade, with 1% support in a recent Times/Bloomberg poll.

But if he does get elected, we have a nomination for the first secretary of Peace and Nonviolence: Elvis Costello.*

-- Scott Martelle