The following is the text of the item which appeared today in the Washington Times' "Inside Politics" column. You can also view the column at www.washingtontimes.com.

Like FDR

Oddball presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche wants to be included in the Democrats' first presidential debate, to be held Saturday in Columbia, S.C., and apparently some Democratic officials agree with him. About 40 current and former Democratic elected officials sent a letter to South Carolina's party chairman, asking that Mr. LaRouche be included with the nine other presidential hopefuls, most of whom have raised less money for their campaigns than Mr. LaRouche.

"We call upon you to extend an invitation to Mr. Lyndon LaRouche to participate in the upcoming candidates' forum," said the  letter, released yesterday by Florence, S.C., City Councilman Edward Robinson.

"Mr. LaRouche is a registered Democratic Party candidate, filed with the Federal Election Commission, has raised well over $3 million for the upcoming primaries, and qualified for Federal Matching Funds in the last several election campaigns on the Democratic side. According to the FEC, he now ranks fourth in total contributions raised and first in total contributors, among all major Democratic candidates," the letter said.

"Mr. LaRouche is an outspoken opponent of the policies of Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney, and a proponent of policies like those of former President Franklin Roosevelt. Like FDR, Mr. LaRouche proposes to rebuild our nation's deteriorating economy."

The letter was signed by, among others, former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders, according to the LaRouche campaign.

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