Chris Dodd, 63, son of the late Senator Thomas J. Dodd, one of the lead prosecutors during the Nuremberg Nazi war crimes tribunals. With this legacy running through his veins Dodd has been committed to public service beginning with his desire to strengthen America’s school system as is seen in his presidential campaign where he endorses an ambitious and comprehensive education plan. However, as important as this is to Senator Dodd, he states that his administration’s top priority will be to restore the constitution under a bill that he co-sponsored called “Restoring the Constitution Act.”

Dodd’s public service actually began as soon as he graduated from Providence College when he joined the Peace Corps and built both schools and Maternity clinics in the rural areas of the Dominican Republic. Once his in the Peace Corps was over he enlisted in the Army National Guard and later served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Senator Dodd later returned to Louisville where he graduated with a law degree from the University of Louisville School Of Law. A short time later he was elected to the Congress and served there until he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980. Currently in his fifth term as Connecticut’s senior United States Senator, Chris is the trusted chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which oversees America’s financial institutions. In addition, it is important to note that as a family man, with two children of his own, children and families of such importance to the Senator that he is known as the “Children’s Senator.” Due to his dedication in this arena Dodd was named “Senator of the Decade” by the National Head Start Association.

Additionally, his vision is seen in his effectiveness on some of the toughest issues. One of these was his authoring and passing of a landmark bill that has provided more than $3 billion to help cities hire, equip, and train firefighters. Dodd also was instrumental in the authoring and institution of the Help America Vote Act which is one of the most important voting rights legislations passed since 1965.However, as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Dodd while domestically strong is by no means an outsider to foreign relations. During his career he has worked with six presidents and managed to foster relationships with many of today’s most important world figures and is recognized as an expert on Latin and South America.

Another point in Senator Dodd’s resume is that he plans to restore America’s moral authority by strengthening our alliances with other countries around the world. As President, Dodd intends to rebuild international institutions to bolster our defenses against terrorism while upholding our common values. Further Dodd is strongly opposed to the Bush-Cheney troop surge strategy proposing instead a surge of diplomacy in the region. One way he proposes standing up to Bush’s misguided Iraq policy is to end the War in Iraq. To this end he is strong a supporter of the Feingold-Reid proposal that sets a timetable to end the war in Iraq by March 31, 2008. Dodd’s successful handling of foreign diplomacy was seen in his leadership in ending U.S. military assistance to the Nicaraguan Contras, which in turn opened the door to successful elections in 1990. Additionally Dodd’s expertise was again called upon when he led the Senate Central America Negotiations Observer Group that was created to monitor the progress of the Guatemala City Peace Accord which called for a cease-fire in the Nicaraguan and El Salvador civil wars. Dodd also had a hand in facilitating the Good Friday Peace Accords in Northern Island that were signed on April 10, 1998. Overall, fellow voters I would say that what is best for our world neighbors is best for us and we need to create a system with balanced proportions of incentive and accountability. There are several candidates running for the 2008 presidential office that provide capable leadership though I feel that the creme of the group are not the front runners but rather contenders like Joseph Biden, Ron Paul, and Chris Dodd that are not making as big a splash on Jay Leno and other talk shows but have the best interests of the nation at heart.

[tags]Chris Dodd, Senator Chris Dodd, Presidential 2008 candidate, Iraq War, Domestic policy, Foreign Affairs, Guatemala City Peace Accord, Feingold-Reid proposal, Senator of the Decade, Children’s senator, Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Restore the Constitution Act, States rights[/tags]