ARLINGTON, VA. — Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee entered the race for president Wednesday by calling for the U.S. to switch to the metric system, take an “open-minded approach” to drug trafficking and consider negotiating with Islamic State terrorists.
With his announcement, Chafee became the biggest longshot among Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Democratic rivals.
He did so by casting himself as an anti-war candidate who opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but he quickly detoured into a list of policy proposals that are likely to be non-starters on the campaign trail, including refusing to rule out talks with the violent terrorist group.
Chafee, a former Republican turned independent who joined the Democratic Party two years ago, has made little effort to set up a competitive campaign operation.
The Associated Press
