Chris Dodd for President

The full text of Chris Dodd's speech is below the fold.

I'm settling into the Temple for Performing Arts in Des Moines, which is the location for our caucus night rally and results watching party. Staff are putting finishing touches on the room and I'm setting up for a night of reporting results to the online community, while the Foo Fighters are blasting over the stereo system for a sound test.

The caucus starts in less than an hour - now is the time for Dodd supporters in Iowa to go to their caucus location and stand for Chris Dodd.

So, Matt Browner-Hamlin was traveling with Chris Dodd to Ottumwa, Iowa for a little light video blogging when he whipped out his camera ... and it was frozen.

R.I.P Matt's camera.

Blogger and video blogger Tommy Christopher makes an in-depth case for Chris Dodd at AOL's Political Machine. He goes through Senator Dodd's issue statements on labor, health care, Iraq, energy, the Constitution, national service, education, and veterans and responds to each with analysis of why he sees Dodd taking the best position on the issue.

In the law, there's a thing called prima facie, on it's face. If a candidate's case is weak on it's face, i.e. their stated positions, there's no point in seeing if they can back those positions up. That's my premise, so let's take a look at Chris Dodd in his own words. I wish I'd had this idea earlier than this, but that's life, ain't it? Hopefully I'll get to do a bunch more of these. Once more, here's where my support of Senator Dodd began.

...

With the exception of a limited training and counter-terrorism force, Dodd wants the U.S. out of Iraq. Period. I agree. Without starting a lengthy treatise on Iraq, I believe not only that the current downturn in violence is meaningless without political progress, and that the level of violence, while reduced, is still wholly unacceptable, but that it is a temporary situation. Without a political solution, the violence will increase. Key to our exit in Iraq is the rest of Dodd's foreign policy, which involves rebuilding our alliances around the world, and pressing allies like Saudi Arabia for democratic reform....After reading all of Dodd's positions, (I omitted several for "brevity"), I get a picture of a veteran progressive who wants to build with the bricks we have now. While his policy ambitions are significant, his plans for executing them are pretty traditional.

Based solely on the substance, I'd say Chris Dodd is a very good candidate. Based on his actions on FISA, which indicate that when he brings it, it gets brung, Chris Dodd gets my vote. Enough votes for Dodd might teach the rest of the Democrats the value of Courage.

One the issues. On experience. On a career of getting results for America - Chris Dodd is the best person to lead our country in 2009.

Chris Bowers at Open Left makes an observation about Chris Dodd's dedication to winning the nomination:

Throughout this campaign, I have admitted not only Dodd's leadership, but also that he is playing to win. For Dodd, no matter how much a longshot he has been, it isn't just about influencing the policy debate, or jockeying for a high-level position in the next administration. He has run hard, and made a full-throated case for why he should become the next President. That is something to be admired, and Dodd supporters should be proud.