Don't quite know what to make of this. If Kucinich doesn't think he can win, what the heck is he doing in the race except fulfilling some vanity wish.

But for whatever reason, there is little doubt that telling his supporters to caucus for Obama as a second choice will give the Illinois senator a boost on Thursday night:

Representative Dennis Kucinich urged his Iowa followers today to select Senator Barack Obama as their second choice at the caucuses on Thursday if his support is not strong enough to be viable in the 1,781 precincts across the state.

“Senator Obama and I have one thing in common: Change,” Mr. Kucinich said in a statement today.

The two spoke briefly by telephone before Mr. Obama flew here for an afternoon rally. In a statement, Mr. Obama took advantage of the opportunity to point out that he, along with Mr. Kucinich, opposed the war in Iraq.

“He and I have been fighting for a number of the same priorities,” Mr. Obama said.

Four years ago, during his first presidential bid, Mr. Kucinich announced a similar second-choice partnership with John Edwards. At the time, aides to Mr. Edwards said it helped contribute to his second-place finish in the caucuses.