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Does anybody have any thoughts as to why suited hands seem to given a lot of weight in blind steal situations?

For example, the book suggest that in MP3 (two off the button) that the smallest kings that you open with are K7s and KJo. Obviously it's better if your hand is suited but it seems to me in a situation where you will probably see the flop headsup that having your kicker be 2-4 pips higher would be more beneficial that the flush potential.

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Flush draw potential gives your hand added strength because of the hand's increased implied odds in the event of a flush draw (and redraws), it allows you to make more when the flush comes in and it also encourages you to play the hand stronger which will at times help you win the hand through pure strength as well. Think of suited hands having greater potential earn, but you are right once the flop comes if suitedness strength is discounted there is no difference between K7s and K7o - they both have equally week kickers. The downside of suitednes strength are the hands where the hero is forced to call down and doesn't hit the flush, but in the long run the suited hands are far stronger than their unsuited siblings.

In short suited hands provide additional opportunities to win the hand, hence they are given greater weight in blind stealing situations.