It was a weird coincidence… but then, I’m a little more informed about politics now, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it was intentional.

Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich recently spoke publicly about his skepticism over President George W. Bush’s sanity—literally. Said Congressman Kucinich:

I seriously believe we have to start asking questions about his mental health… There’s something wrong. He does not seem to understand his words have real impact.

Then, at the debate yesterday, Chris Matthews went to town after asking Kucinich to confirm that he (Kucinich) had once seen a UFO. It was as if “Hardball” Matthews couldn’t get enough laughs out of popping the UFO question on other candidates too—do you believe in UFOs? Is there a government conspiracy (haha)?

First of all, it was one of those questions that really doesn’t help in a debate—sure, it might be interesting to know what a candidate thinks, but it was about as useful as Adam Curry asking if Ron Paul is a “folder” or a “scruncher”… irrelevant and irreverant.

Second, it was clear from the context that Dennis was just being honest—he saw something in the sky, and couldn’t identify it, hence it is an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO). He marveled at the sight of it, and felt some kind of awe. This is a reaction I would expect from any open-minded individual at the sight of something mysterious.

But the spin on the incident was out of this world—almost as if it was an intentional jab meant to cripple Kucinich’s earlier claim that President Bush may literally be insane. Who wants to believe our president is crazy on the word of some crazy guy, right?

If it’s any consolation, Dennis, you’re not alone.

UPDATE: Our favorite government news source, Fox News reports Dennis Kucinich’s UFO Comments Prove He’s Nuts.