CLEVELAND, June 15 (UPI) -- U.S. independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader kicked off a campaign to get on Ohio's November ballot with an attack on the two-party system.
The lawyer and consumer advocate campaigned in Toledo and spoke at the City Club of Cleveland, where he called Democrats and Republicans nearly indistinguishable.
Nader plans to collect 10,000 petition signatures -- double the 5,000 needed -- to make sure he qualifies for the state ballot if his candidacy is challenged, the Cleveland Plain Dealer said Tuesday.
Nader criticized outsourcing of jobs overseas and outlined a plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within a year by replacing them with a multi-national peacekeeping force.
Nader qualified for the Arizona ballot last week, his first as an independent candidate.
He deflected questions about whether his candidacy would hurt Democrat John Kerry, saying he did not need permission to run for president.
