If you didn’t have a ringside seat, underdog Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich mounted a courageous defense of the political process in a heavyweight bout with newsman and bullyboy Ted Koppel Tuesday night. As moderator of the Democratic Presidential Debate in New Hampshire, Koppel came out the aggressor, often pinning all nine candidates to the ropes over demeaning issues such the battle for endorsements and the size of campaign war chests. Late in the confrontation, having backed the three least-regarded challengers--Kucinich, Reverend Al “Silver Tongue” Sharpton and Ambassador “Auntie” Carole Braun--into a corner, Koppel demanded to know when the three would be “throwing in the towel” on the election. After a counterpunch from Sharpton about money and politics, the underweight Kucinich let loose a ferocious counterattack. With a flurry of deft verbal jabs, the “lefty” took the overbearing media hack to task for trivializing the debate. Having caught the Nero of Nightline with his guard down, Kucinich took center ring with a series of piercing statements as to his own credibility. Finally, staring down the suddenly sheepish paperboy, Kucinich finished him off with a deft apology for having become “an inconvenience” to the Presidential race. Key Links: Debate Transcript "On The Importance of Running Against The Media": (Regarding the media response, and how it played on t.v. versus print.)