Democratic Sen. Dodd Enters Presidential Race

The Washington Post ^ | January 12, 2007 | Dan Balz

[neverdem]

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) plunged into the 2008 presidential race yesterday, an admitted dark-horse candidate for the Democratic nomination who nonetheless said his experience and record qualify him to lead the country at a time of terrorism abroad and economic insecurities at home.

He began his campaign in outspoken opposition to President Bush's newly announced plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq in an effort to quell the violence there. Dodd said he backs a proposal by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) that would prevent Bush from deploying any new troops until specifically authorized by Congress.

Dodd voted for the October 2002 congressional resolution authorizing the war, but he said that measure is obsolete, given how radically the U.S. mission in Iraq has changed since the invasion. He said the new policy will not work. "We have an obligation, before the troops are sent, to vote against it," he said in a telephone interview.

But he said he would not vote to cut off funds for the additional troops once they are deployed. "I'm not going to cut off funds to kids who are sitting in harm's way," he said. "That's why this debate has to happen before they're sent."

Dodd, one of the Senate's leading liberals, is a former general chairman of the Democratic National Committee and has served in Congress for more than three decades. But he begins his bid for the White House overshadowed by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Both are expected to make their intentions known by the end of the month, with Obama's decision coming as early as next week.

Dodd said he is realistic about his campaign but stressed that, given the challenges the country faces, voters will put a premium on experience and leadership in selecting...

[neverdem]

ping

[msnimje]

"dark-horse?" How about legless horse?

[ExtremeUnction]

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) plunged into the 2008 presidential race yesterday, an admitted dark-horse candidate,,

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

[annelizly]

now the real question is.....who the heck is going to run for the republicans who is DECENTLY CONSERVATIVE!

[Empireoftheatom48]

Ha, Ha, Ha, as Jack the ripper once said!

[Howie66]

Doesn't Iran have rules about foriegners running for president?

[fat city]

Dodd took the unusual step of announcing his candidacy on the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, partly, he said, because he has been doing interviews with host Don Imus for 14 years. But there was a practical political reason as well: Imus was willing to give him more airtime. Dodd said. "CBS said they would give me three minutes. I got 20 minutes on Imus."

And with the help of a notoriously boring, self-indulgent, alcoholic hack, Dodd will get a nice tour of the country before retiring.

[neverdem]

Admiral Fallon and CENTCOM

British troops kill up to 100 Taleban fighters "NATO also claimed to have killed 150 Taleban fighters in a seperate battle in eastern Afghanistan,"

Pentagon abandons active-duty time limit

From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

[clintonh8r]

"Vote for Dodd. (He isn't as drunk as Kennedy.)"

[Right Cal Gal]

Chris Dodd announces he's running for President....
and the nation yawns, rolls over on its right side, and goes back to sleep.

[NonValueAdded]

Teddy the K as his veep? "Bring back the sandwich" can be thier campaign slogan.

[quantim]

See tag.

[Trteamer]

There sure seems to be a lot of politicians running for President this go round. Maybe it is getting to be profitable to run for President. Fly around, eat food, and party on other peoples money. Give some feel good speeches, never answer "yes" or "no" to any questions and enjoy the gravy train. Oh, and collect a paycheck from the taxpayers at the same time.

Not very good employees of the public.

[piasa]

2001 : (OTTO REICH IS BUSH'S NOMINEE TO BE ASST SEC OF STATE FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS BUT SENATOR DODD MOVES TO BLOCK HIS NOMINATION WITH RUMORS WHILE JANICE O'CONNELL TRIES TO MAKE IT A HARDSHIP FOR REICH TO ACCEPT THE NOMINATION BY TARGETTING HIS PERSONAL INCOME- See CHRIS DODD, JANICE O'CONNELL) Mr. [Otto] Reich originally had been George Bush's nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs in 2001. He had the votes to be confirmed. But Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd and his first lieutenant on the Senate foreign relations committee, Janice O'Connell, blamed Cold-War warrior Reich for the defeat of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas in the late 1980s and were determined to block his nomination.
Vicious mud slinging ensued. At least one sloppy, lazy "journalist" spread rumors that Mr. Reich had ties to a Cuban terrorist. Mr. Dodd also whispered to Senate colleagues that the nominee was going through a hostile divorce and hiding assets from his wife. None of the charges stuck for the simple reason that they lacked merit.
Finally, Mr. Reich reports that Ms. O'Connell told another Hill staffer that she had a plan to make it financially impossible for him to take a government job by raising questions about the sale of his private consulting business. Under the terms of the deal, Mr. Reich was scheduled to receive payments over four years, something State Department lawyers told him was completely legal and ethical. But Mr. Reich tore up the contract anyway. Out of mud, Mr. Dodd simply refused to allow the confirmation hearings to proceed.
-------May 18, 2004 via 61 posted on 05/06/2005 7:18:47 PM PDT by kcvl

[piasa]

Janice O'Connell, longtime foreign relations aide to Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd (who is launching a campaign for better U.S. relations with Castro). Such disparate anti-Reich sources as Castro, Arias and O'Connell share a common animosity. They cannot forgive Reich for his persistent Reagan administration role in keeping the contras alive, assuring the ultimate fall of Nicaragua's Marxist dictatorship. Arias specifically bemoans Reich's ''allegiance to the Reagan administration's hard-line policies toward Central America.''
The assault by the Cuban Communists is particularly noxious in its fascist and Nazi name-calling. Reich's father, an Austrian Jew, fled Hitler's Anschluss in 1938 for Cuba, where Otto was born. His grandparents died in the Holocaust.
Arias was just as far off the mark. He said that Reich successfully lobbied the Clinton administration on behalf of Lockheed Martin to permit the sale of F-16 warplanes to Chile; in fact, Reich did not go to work for the company until after the ban on high grade weaponry had been lifted. Contrary to Arias, Reich never was even accused of wrongdoing in supporting the contras under Reagan.
The settling of old scores on Nicaragua also has targeted John Negroponte, Bush's nominee as ambassador to the United Nations. While an active Contra supporter as ambassador to Honduras in the '80s, Negroponte is a less inviting target than [Otto] Reich.
One influential conservative Republican senator thinks [Otto] Reich may be the sacrificial lamb to appease Senate Democrats. He notes that Secretary of State Colin Powell, on Fox News June 17, lavishly praised Negroponte but said nothing about Reich. The explanation may be that Powell was asked about Negroponte but not Reich. A recent meeting between White House aides and Senate GOP staffers agreed there should be a vigorous effort on Reich's behalf. Veteran Republican operative Tom Korologos was asked last week to add Reich to the pack of Bush nominees he is shepherding. George W. Bush may be underestimated again, this time by his own conservative base. Naming Reich to head Latin American policy was an act of solidarity with Reaganism. That Castro targeted Reich validates the choice.
-------http://tinyurl.com/aox2c

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Good news for Kerry. Now Kerry has moved up to second to last place.

[Rocky]

Anyone who donates money to this guy is a sucker. He knows he has no chance to get the nomination.

[SiliconValleyGuy]

The egos that these no accomplishment, and even less charisma, candidates have is astounding.

[ChildOfThe60s]

#1 qualification on his resume? Expert maker of waitress sandwiches (with assistance from his buddy the swimmer)