WASHINGTON – A new Pizza Hut ad that uses slices of presidential debate commentary to tout a cut-rate pizza deal has angered backers of Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

“Are people seeing lower prices now?” the announcer in the ad asks before cutting to a debate segment where Kucinich says: “More people in this country have seen UFOs.”

When the vegan congressman disappears from the screen, his image is replaced by several meat-covered pizzas.

Operators of several websites that admire the Cleveland congressman are urging readers to complain to Pizza Hut. They’re not mad about Kucinich being linked to pepperoni despite his meat aversion, or being linked to chain pizza despite his anti-corporate rhetoric.

Instead, it’s the UFO reference that’s given them indigestion. Kucinich’s response to a question at an October debate confirming that he once saw an unidentified flying object has brought him considerable publicity.

“I am going to encourage all Kucinich supporters to boycott your restaurant until you change your “debate’ advertising,” wrote the operator of a Web site called Dandelionsalad. “That was a low blow to a viable, electable presidential candidate. Consider the word OUT! I also think Pizza Hut should publicly apologize to the Congressman!”

Pizza Hut hasn’t received many complaints about the ad, which began airing nationally on Thursday night, said company public relations director Jennifer Little.

Little called the ad a “lighthearted way to tie into the important topic of the economy,” and said Kucinich’s UFO remarks were used because they were among the most memorable made in any of the presidential debates.

CM END EATON

(Sabrina Eaton is a staff writer in the Washington bureau of The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. She can be contacted at seaton(at)plaind.com.)

2007-12-28-KUCINICH-PIZZAHUT

AP-NY-12-28-07 1444EST