Hello Sen Dodd

Welcome, Senator Dodd! It is truly an honor to have you here with us.

[Transcript available beginning here]

Welcome Senator Dodd, it’s a pleasure to have you here today.

Welcome, Senator.

That’s a fascinating amendment. Any cosponsors?

Welcome, Senator Dodd.

Welcome back, Senator Dodd.

We seem to be having a technical moment, they’re working on it.

Hello Senator Dodd.
Thanks for being here today.

We are excited to have you here, Senator Dodd!

Welcome Senator Dodd!
Thank you for your clear stance on the occupation of Iraq!

Bob in HI

welcome Senator Dodd … thanks for being here this afternoon.

Welcome Senator

Welcome, Sen. Dodd!

Can you provide us with some background on why the effort to include a timeline in the supplemental bill failed? Why were there not enough votes in the Senate to pass the vetoed bill again?

Welcome Senator Dodd and Thank you and FDL for hosting more access to our reps.

I am not able to connect to any sound or Senator Dodd at the U stream. Not sure what I am doing wrong.

Welcome Senator Dodd.

Can you explain what ‘redeployment of U.S. combat troops’ means in the context of your proposed amendment? Thank you.

Your amendment is just what I want to see. Over and over until it’s passed

Sound and video loud and clear!

No sound here…

Thank you Senator Dodd. You have answered my question. And I like your answer!

Welcome Senator do you have any tricks to stop the President from attacking Iran? After all the president is a “problem gambler” when losing he doubles his bet. If your bill passes that might send him over the edge with the need to regain control nomatter what the costs.

Stream is pretty kerchunky here.

Senator Dodd I think your amendment is just what we need, but my concern is that you will not be able to get the support needed in congress in order to make the amendment a reality. I agree that we cannot wait for a new president before taking action, but this administration does not see willing to make any concessions at all. How do you get around all of this and make troop withdrawal a possible?

Welcome, Senator Dodd, and thank you for fighting for what is right.

Kathleen, refresh and try again, that worked here.

Welcome Senator Dodd and thanks for being here. I can SEE!

Have you co-sponsors, sir? I will write to Senators Boxer and Feinstein today.

Thank you for coming, Senator Dodd.

Senator Dodd,
CIA Veteran Micheal Scheuer and other security specialist have said that many Muslims do not like U.S. foreign policy in the middle east. We hear this over and over again. That the issue is “what we do not who we are”

How can the present and a future administration incorporate these intelligence experts insights into our foreign policy? How can these insights be applied to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the lop-sided and “unchecked” support of Israel no matter what they do in the middle east?

Senator Dodd, I’ve been hearing about plans to “deauthorize” the war. Is that part of your plan?

Senator Dodd.
Thank you for your time and welcome back.

Do you feel that possibly your colleagues have heard the people now after the last vote on this?
Do you think you have any more chance of building support for your bill?

wow – welcome sen dodd – its an honor to have you here

Senator Dodd, is it really possible to hold Bush accountable? It seems like he has never been accountable for anything at anytime.

Senator you want to be President assuming you win you will be stuck paying for all the costs of Bush’s war. The Republicans will then attack you for raising taxes or increasing the Debt. I wonder if you can get the Republicans to pay for just half the current cost of this war during Bush’s term. It just does not seem fair that a democrat should get stuck paying for Bush’s war.

Left behind in the dust here on dial-up. Hope some kind soul can note some of the highlights of Senator Dodd’s remarks here in the comments.

i agree with you on not having permanent bases in iraq – thats what led to the anger with the usa in saudi arabia

Senator, I would like to know if these resolutions are binding, and if President Bush fails to meet them, what action will be taken?

Senator Dodd, thank you for your efforts to end the Iraq Occupation.

If pro-Occupation Senators find the votes todefeat your amendment, would you be willing to filibuster the Defense Appropriations Bill until the amendment were accepted or cloture invoked?

….and would you be willing to force a cloture vote to clearly delineate who cooperated and who obstructed your efforts to end the Iraq Occupation?

Sen. Dodd, I know that in the past you’ve put significant effort into supporting the International Criminal Court.

If elected POTUS, would you send the Rome Statute to the Senate for ratification?

Good for the Senator for clarifying that voting to defund is not voting to abandon the troops. That’s a bogus argument and I wish other 08s would clarify that.

Senator, for those of us outside of Washington, DC, who can read the polls, we can’t figure out why the Democratic Party in DC seems so far behind the voters on the Iraq occupation.

Why is there such a disconnect between the voters and the elected member of the Democratic Party in DC?

Sen. Dodd and staff — thank you so much for agreeing to do this here at FDL today. I’m fascinated by the technology, but the knowledgeable and thorough answers are very much appreciated. And I needed to say that in print.

(And, for this barely-tech-literate blogger, the technology involved in the live vlogging townhall is amazing. I am loving this!)

Senator are you willing to filibuster any further funding for this war that does not include withdrawing our troops?

(much improved background over last week, Dodd squad)

Senator Dood are you concerned that polls report that the American public has little faith in our elected Reps?

Senator Dodd, it was just reported by The Politico that you will not be attending the Fox News/Congressional Black Caucus debate in September. Can you comment on your decision not to attend?

Who is reading the questions?

Love that characterization of the Bush Administration foreign policy disdain “they treat it as though it is a gift to the enemies, and military policy as the first response.” That is so backward — good for Sen. Dodd for calling that as it is, straight out.

Sparkles the Iguana @ 46

Who is reading the questions?

Matt Browner-Hamlin, Dodd blogger

Unfortunately it appears that the Senate still has a pro-war majority, with Lieberman and several conservative Democrats outnumbering Republican dissenters like Chuck Hagel. Sen. Dodd, as an expert on Senate procedures, are there any ways that you can have an effect when you don’t have a majority?

What’s to stop the Senate from caving again this fall when George Bush starts a new game of chicken over the next round of funding?

Hello from CT, Senator Dodd.

Given how important numbers are needed in terms of votes to support any “end the war” legislation, what do you suggest that we in CT do to deal with the Joe Lieberman issue? Impeach? Recall? Clearly, he is not a democrat and does nothing except continue to hurt our party.

Thank you for taking my question.

Senator Dodd, we are two Ohio University students. We have lost faith in our elected Representatives due to the invasion of Iraq.

How would you encourage two 19 year old students to get involved with our democratic process?

From
Nina Bierlein and Morgan Gotfried

Thanks, Teddy and Matt!

Thank you so much for being here and for continuing this fight. And for participating in vlogging!!!

I am so grateful to hear that you are responding to last week’s disappointments and presenting such intelligent and rational points about this tragic war.

You are personifying leadership that we need desperately. Thank you.

September in Iraq is just another game. It will ONLY be more difficult to stop this thing in September.

Dodd Rocks!

This is marvelous, and I love it. Welcome, Senator. I was delighted to see how quickly you responded to the funding vote, and your recognition of the netroots.

Senator, in light of reports that Condoleezza Rice claimed that the president “would defy troop withdrawal legislation,” — that’s defy, not veto — what options would be left to the Congress if he were to follow through on that threat?

Senator Dodd,

Thank you so very much for speaking truth to power. The invasion of Iraq (as Al Gore and others have pointed out) was a catastrophic mistake. Yet, we are “there.” I am interested in the role that other Arab states can/could play in helping us to see that the Iraqi people have an opportunity to move forward. Specifically, how would you use diplomacy to encourage these countries (most esp. Saudi Arabia) to play a more constructive role in this effort?

Kagro X @ 56

Senator, in light of reports that Condoleezza Rice claimed that the president “would defy troop withdrawal legislation,” — that’s defy, not veto — what options would be left to the Congress if he were to follow through on that threat?

Good question.

Thank you Senator Dodd … what a wonderful way for voters to get a chance to meet you.

And Thank you for your leadership on Iraq!

Thank you for taking the first of my questions. Here’s hoping the other 3 are answered as well! ;})

Senator, what about the huge and embarrassing embassy that we see the pictures of on the net?

Getting away from Iraq for a moment.

Obama is catching some flack for not including an individual mandate in his health care proposal. Can you explain why you included such a requirement in your plan? How do you ensure that people will be forced to purchase insurance that is not worth what they are paying for?

Yes Senator Dodd, I love this amendment. Why doesn’t the congress understand that the American people are disgusted with the war and want it to end? What is the overwhelming force keeping the war going?

Kuddos to you Sen Dodd for articulating how we have lost power and influence wrt Iraq, and the reminder that the 1st job of the pres is to look out for the interests of the people who have elected him/her: the American people!!!!!!!

Kagro X at 56 — Excellent question. Given Bush’s propensity for signing statements, it isn’t exactly a surprise. But I’d love to hear Sen. Dodd’s thoughts on that one.

Senator Dodd,

What is your take on the Bush administrations aggression towards Iran and the willingness by them to use military options instead of diplomacy?

pow wow @ 34

Left behind in the dust here on dial-up. Hope some kind soul can note some of the highlights of Senator Dodd’s remarks here in the comments.

We need to stand up to this administration before we lose more lives.

I joined the Peace Corps because an American President asked me to — civil rights mvmt, VISTA, we got excited about America. Join my campaign, join somebody else’s campaign, get involved.

Senator Dodd, Rice’s threat about defying troop withdrawal legislation seems to imply signing statements. What is your position on the use of signing statements?

Christy Hardin Smith @ 41

Sen. Dodd and staff — thank you so much for agreeing to do this here at FDL today. I’m fascinated by the technology, but the knowledgeable and thorough answers are very much appreciated. And I needed to say that in print.

(And, for this barely-tech-literate blogger, the technology involved in the live vlogging townhall is amazing. I am loving this!)

Yes, this is great! Thanks so much, FDL & Jane for setting this up. This is a first for me.

Answered my question. thanks.

now that bushco is nearing the end of his term – do you think we’ll see a more diplomatic stance in trying to end the war in iraq and lessen the chance of invading iran?

Question. specifically, how would youuse diplomacy to aencourage other ME countries, esp Syria to get more involved.

A. Please to see discussions w/Iran. We need to talk to counries we don’t agree with, inquire if there isn’t common ground with Syria, find ways they can become more involved in stabilizing. Reasons they may be reliuctant b’c of our military presence. Leaves them mo place but welcoming refugees. We need to use our influeanct to open door to allow other ME countries to participate in stabilization of the regjion.

I’m a CT resident, and glad Chris Dodd is my Senator.
now if we can only recall the other one….

Senator Dodd over and over again we hear that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the U.S.’s lopsided stance on this conflict is why so many nations are angry with the U.S.. That they are not angry about “who we are but what we do” in the middle east

Badswater askes about signing stmts.

Sen Dodd: Disturbing, bad precedent, dangerous. President should not have legislative weight or judicial weight (if appeal to SCOTUS) in interpreting law.

Senator Dodd,

Thank you very much for your time today.

The occupation in Iraq will cost upwards of $500. Regardless of who the next president is. That bill will have to be repaid. How will you address that imposing issue?

Kathleen @ 72

Senator Dodd over and over again we hear that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the U.S.’s lopsided stance on this conflict is why so many nations are angry with the U.S.. That they are not angry about “who we are but what we do” in the middle east. Can you please address this issue.

Jane Hamsher @ 58

Kagro X @ 56

Senator, in light of reports that Condoleezza Rice claimed that the president “would defy troop withdrawal legislation,” — that’s defy, not veto — what options would be left to the Congress if he were to follow through on that threat?

Good question.

Can you ask the president if he will stand behind Condi’s words and fire her for suggesting that the President who’s job it is to enforce the constituion would IGNORE IT! Then ask the Republican presidential candidates that question. If Bush won’t answer or won’t fire her then take away the State Dept’s money nobody cares what they do so there would be no political cost and it would force Bush on the defensive.

Bravo on your answer to Katrina.

Did Senator Dodd have the opportunity to state if would filibuster?

Patient called – missed the vlog :(

Thank you Sen Dodd for taking my question.

And I think that you are right on the money–as long as we are caught up in an un-godly civil war in Iraq, we are weaker in terms of our ability to negotiate with and encourage other Arab states to help stabilize Iraq.

Great answer!!!! (I have lived and traveled widely in the Middle East, and your answer shows me that you are in touch with the reality on the ground)

“Iraq is the major issue of the day” — I could not agree more.

WoooHooo!

Thanks Senator Dodd and FDL

Thank you so much for taking my question about Katrina and New Orleans.

Thanks to Senator Dodd and the Dodd campaign (and to FDL!) for this extraordinary opportunity to access one of our candidates for President.

As I’ve said before, Dodd may not be my first choice, but I sure like his candidacy, his campaign, and the efforts he’s made to move the “frontrunners” in the right direction.

Thanks to everyone at the lake great chat!

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

Dang – missed it by THAT much.

Matt says end of chat today. Sen Dodds thanks us for our time and comments and consideration of his amendment.

Kick ass, all the way around.

Now to feed the kids some homemade pizza.

Thank you FDL and Senator Dodd. This was very interesting. A great way to meet candidates.

Mandrake @ 80

“Iraq is the major issue of the day” — I could not agree more.

It could easily be Iran tomorrow!

Jane Hamsher @ 87

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

ME!

this was cool, thanks, AGAIN, FDL–great job!

Thank you, Senator!

Thank you, Teddy and Matt!

That was AWESOME!

Yea FDL!

Yea Sen Dodd!

It is so refreshing to hear real questions asked by real human beings, answered by a real human being.

Thank you Sen. Dodd.

Mr Browner-Hamlin, I do hope you retain a copy of the unasked questions as I know there were a lot of issues not addressed today.

Jane Hamsher @ 87

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

dakine01

Interesting. For future reference, traffic watching the vlog was at its highest right as they signed off at 5:37. I think it takes a while for these things to pick up steam.

Jane Hamsher @ 88

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

Me 6!

Jane Hamsher @ 88

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

don’t forget Sparkles!

That was grand !

Thank you Jane & Christy

Jane Hamsher @ 88

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

Got the first one answered about Habeas restoration. But not the other three (Blackwater under UCMJ, Posse Comitatus)

Nice work, firepups! Small technical hitch on my end. I could hear Sen. Dodd fine, but the questioner’s voice was very low volume.

That was completely awesome!

I’ve become a broken record — thanks again to the FDL’ers who make lurkin’ with a Senator possible.

You are the avant-garde of blogging. Congratulations.

Unlike the Laesch video, I believe there will be a video of the session available soon in the window above.

this was excellent!! can we do this again and again?

If he can get that amendment going. Id sure be considering his run for president

Thank you Senator Dodd! Good luck in your campaign!

Thank you Senator Dodd.

Jane, thank you, that was the cat’s meow. I am really impressed with Senator Candidate Dodd, but I have to wonder, is he really a politician? He only sounded like one for the first minute or two, then OMG! Def a keeper.

It was pretty funny when Matt said from offcamera, “Sparkles the Iguana asks…” Senator Dodd took it all in stride, I thought.

Phenomenal! This *feels* revolutionary on several levels.

AND Senator Dodd makes sense! In short supply recently in D.C., huh …

dakine01 @ 102

Got the first one answered about Habeas restoration. But not the other three (Blackwater under UCMJ, Posse Comitatus)

I noticed. I was waiting to hear his reaction to the Directive.

Hello from MN and thank you.
Very impressive – plan to visit the senator’s site.

So well done! And so energizing and encouraging. Sen Dodd is a great guy–and if he doesn’t become pres., I would love to see him as Sec of State. He obviously gets it.

Wow, what a communicator. His knowledge of foreign policy is so encouraging after listening to our current pres. for years. Thank you

juslin @ 107

this was excellent!! can we do this again and again?

We’ll see who else has the gumption to face the rabid lambs of Teh Lake.

old gold @ 106

You are the avant-garde of blogging. Congratulations.

Hear! Hear!

dakine01 @ 96

Thank you Sen. Dodd.

Mr Browner-Hamlin, I do hope you retain a copy of the unasked questions as I know there were a lot of issues not addressed today.

Impeachment. Several people on the advance question page asked why it was ‘off the table.’ I would like to have seen Sen. Dodd address this. He’s going to be my Senator again (after my absence from CT for a few years), and I want to know where he stands on this!

i have used the technology tools supporting this endeavor for several years now. i am excited about the opportunity this opens up for our collective community and political discussion, re: virtual global “town” meetings.

ain’t technology grand? (-:

thanks to everyone involved in setting this up. this is my first real chance to educate myself about Senator Dodd as a potential candidate. i like what i see!

The Revolution will be VLOGGED
*g*

Thanks Jane and Christy and all.

juslin @ 107

this was excellent!! can we do this again and again?

Amen and amen!

Present at the creation of a new media paradigm, etc.

Thanks, HotFlash! [Thought I might be able to pick this livestream up the way I can C-SPAN on-line streams, but I basically get just a semi-still shot of Senator Dodd at the table, and a couple of seconds of sound that then cuts off.]

But even without being able to listen in, this does look to be a great way to have a dialogue with the American people. Hats off to the Dodd team.

jane and the lakers – YOU ROCK!!! as one who’s not sure yet of whom i’ll support – i must say i’m impressed with sen dodd’s answers today….

Wouldn’t it be great to have a grownup as president, compared with our current situation?

Thank you Senator Dodd. I think you gained a lot of support today.

TeddySanFran @ 125

Present at the creation of a new media paradigm, etc.

*feeling sparkly like an Iguana*

spurious @ 114

dakine01 @ 102

Got the first one answered about Habeas restoration. But not the other three (Blackwater under UCMJ, Posse Comitatus)

I noticed. I was waiting to hear his reaction to the Directive.

That’s why I put a comment to the questioner hoping the unanswered are retained for future reference. There’s a whole campaign paper involved in all the points people are asking about.

snowbird42 @ 108

If he can get that amendment going. Id sure be considering his run for president

Hmm, I have two Dem senators here in MI, and I know how to write letters.

TRex @ 118

juslin @ 107

this was excellent!! can we do this again and again?

We’ll see who else has the gumption to face the rabid lambs of Teh Lake.

Not to mention the 60-ft. Theropods! :-)

TribeScribe @ 122

The Revolution will be VLOGGED
*g*

“The revolution will not be televised.” (Gil Scott Heron.) It will be vlogged. (TribeScribe.)

Thank you Jane and everyone else involved — this was fantastic!

Welcome to FDL-TV.

TeddySanFran @ 124

Present at the creation of a new media paradigm, etc.

AGAIN!
FDL rocks.

Elliott @ 102

Jane Hamsher @ 88

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

don’t forget Sparkles!

That was grand !

Thank you Jane & Christy

and dakine01!

egregious @ 128

Wouldn’t it be great to have a grownup as president, compared with our current situation?

Thank you Senator Dodd. I think you gained a lot of support today.

“Grown-up” being a key word. Sen Dodd fits that bill. What a refreshing voice of maturity and sanity.

I mean, he actually answered real questions from real people. What a concept.

TeddySanFran @ 112

It was pretty funny when Matt said from offcamera, “Sparkles the Iguana asks…” Senator Dodd took it all in stride, I thought.

Too bad HopeSpringsaTurtle wasn’t around! Any news of her and the doc?

driving by from work- my screen says ‘intermission’ – is it over ???

Jane & Christy, this was fabulous, beyond fabulous and the very thing KO’s ‘guest’ was addressing last night – getting the people more than 30 second, 1 way messages -

my co workers and guests are lovin’ it – ‘you mean we can ask him a question ?!?! – democracy, what a concept !

thanks!

HotFlash @ 130

snowbird42 @ 108

If he can get that amendment going. Id sure be considering his run for president

Hmm, I have two Dem senators here in MI, and I know how to write letters.

Oh dear, I have BobCorker (said in a nasally voice)

Pachacutec @ 135

Welcome to FDL-TV.

Woo Hoo!

Jane Hamsher @ 99

Interesting. For future reference, traffic watching the vlog was at its highest right as they signed off at 5:37. I think it takes a while for these things to pick up steam.

i noticed the same. it also seems as if Senator Dodd did not get the questions placed in que last night, in preparation, but those posted within this thread today during the vlog.

i am thrilled he joined us; half an hour is not long enough to take the greatest advantage of the forum. (-:

And BTW, thanks to those of you who posted links to tools helping those of us in Mac land to be able to stream windows media. IT WORKED!

They’ll have the video up in about 5 minutes.

TSF@ 125

i agree – it’s sooo immediate

cbl @ 141

democracy, what a concept !

Let’s see if it catches on, shall we?

Mutant Poodle @ 137

Elliott @ 102

don’t forget Sparkles!

That was grand !

Thank you Jane & Christy

and dakine01!

oh yes, he had a great list of questions!

Wow, now THAT was GROOVY!!

Senator Dodd, presidential candidate, streaming live to my kitchen table.

Utter coolness.

I didn’t have any questions to ask, everybody else had them covered (thanks, ‘Pups!). Was happy with the format, although I concur that the questioner was nearly inaudible. Senator Dodd was just fine.

Would like to point out how seminal this event is; my 9-year-old is sitting here at the table eating dinner, and he thinks nothing of having a seated Senator and presidential candidate streaming live to the dinner table. This is what he is cutting his political teeth on, dinner with a candidate in our home. There’s very little reason why this should not be the norm across the country; this is what the next generation will expect as a baseline for candidate and politician performance.

Thanks so much to Senator Dodd for coming to the Lake for this vlog event — and thanks to Jane, as always, for making this happen, along with all the techies in the machine.

TeddySanFran @ 111

It was pretty funny when Matt said from offcamera, “Sparkles the Iguana asks…” Senator Dodd took it all in stride, I thought.

Yeah, that was funny. Something tells me he was mentally screening out the crazy nomenclature.

egregious @ 127

Wouldn’t it be great to have a grownup as president, compared with our current situation?

Thank you Senator Dodd. I think you gained a lot of support today.

Senator Dodd really speaks intelligently, and not in talking point format. Considering this blog’s history in Connecticut, I’m really pleased he came onboard today to vlog.

snowbird42 @ 141

HotFlash @ 130

Hmm, I have two Dem senators here in MI, and I know how to write letters.

Oh dear, I have BobCorker (said in a nasally voice)

I have John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (said with disgust)

did the techie capture the vid stream for viewing again?

I had toobz burp for the first question or so.

Great stuff here!

Time to hit the tip jar…

Too bad HopeSpringsaTurtle wasn’t around! Any news of her and the doc?

I stumbled on her here;
http://deepconfusion.blogspot.com/

Perhaps in the future we could write our questions out starting with a first name and city state..

Will C&L post this later so we slower loading folks can try to view it?

“I believe in God and Senator Dodd and keepin’ old Castro down…”

Oops, wrong senator…same bloodline.

What will he do when the ‘08 election is cancelled?

Sparkles the Iguana @ 150

TeddySanFran @ 111

It was pretty funny when Matt said from offcamera, “Sparkles the Iguana asks…” Senator Dodd took it all in stride, I thought.

Yeah, that was funny. Something tells me he was mentally screening out the crazy nomenclature.

Or maybe he’s just cooler than one might think. I thought I caught a sparkle in his eye, actually.

Elliott @ 148

Mutant Poodle @ 137

and dakine01!

oh yes, he had a great list of questions!

Thank you for that statement. Since I was a McGovern delegate in ‘72 (and even campaigned for Kennedy when I was 8), I’ve been following the process for most of my life.

juslin @ 146

TSF@ 125

i agree – it’s sooo immediate

Hopefully, they will all do this much more frequently.

Sen Dodd was a real trooper. No canned responses. He showed that he was able to speak intelligently about real issues because he is genuinely interested in real issues. This sort of format will not work for candidates who rely on canned responses to lame questions.

Mutant Poodle @ 137

Elliott @ 102

don’t forget Sparkles!

That was grand !

Thank you Jane & Christy

and dakine01!

We all sound like we’re from another planet. But we all vote. ;)

Just to think that this amendment might be discussed takes away some of the pain Ive been feeling. And in June too. Forget Sept…

Thank you for having us Jane et alia. Thank you all for coming to watch. Most of all, thank you for your questions and comments.

Scarecrow @ 162

Mutant Poodle @ 137

and dakine01!

We all sound like we’re from another planet. But we all vote. ;)

Some folks are even impressionable enough to listen to our opinions!

Thank you Matt!!

dakine01 @ 130

spurious @ 114

I noticed. I was waiting to hear his reaction to the Directive.

That’s why I put a comment to the questioner hoping the unanswered are retained for future reference. There’s a whole campaign paper involved in all the points people are asking about.

I hope he will read the unasked questions and respond. He blogged here once; what are the odds of getting him back? Or if he doesn’t feel nimble-fingered enough to blog in real time (though I think he did pretty well last time), maybe he could send his answers to someone here for posting?

Thanks Matt. Click on Matts name and we are on his blog too!!!!

Sparkles the Iguana @ 151

TeddySanFran @ 111

It was pretty funny when Matt said from offcamera, “Sparkles the Iguana asks…” Senator Dodd took it all in stride, I thought.

Yeah, that was funny. Something tells me he was mentally screening out the crazy nomenclature.

hey, you’ve got one of the best names ever!
and I ’specially like smapdi, too.

Email contact page for Barbara Boxer; Californians can ask her to co-sponsor the Dodd amendment.

Email page for Dianne Feinstein.

FWIW, Senator Dodd was very impressed with the array of handles you all use!

fyi, Kucinich is on cspan1

I really like Dodd. I’m sorry I missed the whole thing. Sigh.

Wolf B. just admitted having been to Cheney’s home. A Chinook chopper was shot down in Afghanistan with casualties, and almost in the same breath…CNN says Iran is teaming up with their enemy the Taliban. Khalilizad (PNAC neocon UN Ambassador)was discussing severe Iran sanctions and was all kissy face with Blitzer.

Somebody save this country please. Congress needs to stop this Iran war NOW and the Syria follow-up. I feel ill.

Matt Browner Hamlin @ 169

FWIW, Senator Dodd was very impressed with the array of handles you all use!

We are all NOC DFH’s.
Lol.

Damn, I missed it!

When will we be treated to daily “FDL-TV”feeds?

Jane, Christy, Margaret? I know TRex is a ham…

Matt Browner Hamlin @ 169

FWIW, Senator Dodd was very impressed with the array of handles you all use!

Nicely moderated, Matt. More, more, more please!

(also left you a note upthread — good work improving the background)

I can’t get over the fact that a Senator and candidate for President was taking questions from and giving serious responses to people with names like Sparkles the Iguana, badwater, egregious and TRex. At least he didn’t have to respond to someone without a brain. This is funnier than the Daily Show — and it may wind up on . . .

Sparkles the Iguana @ 150

TeddySanFran @ 111

It was pretty funny when Matt said from offcamera, “Sparkles the Iguana asks…” Senator Dodd took it all in stride, I thought.

Yeah, that was funny. Something tells me he was mentally screening out the crazy nomenclature.

He seems pretty comfortable with blogs.

TeddySanFran @ 175

Matt Browner Hamlin @ 169

FWIW, Senator Dodd was very impressed with the array of handles you all use!

Nicely moderated, Matt. More, more, more please!

(also left you a note upthread — good work improving the background)

Also left you a note upthread…#97…

snowbird42 @ 163

Just to think that this amendment might be discussed takes away some of the pain Ive been feeling. And in June too. Forget Sept…

(emphasis mine)

That’s because the budget process for FY 2008 began as soon as this Congress began this session.

Technically, the appropriations bills for FY 2008 for the various Federal agencies are supposed to be in place to begin funding at 12:01 am EDT, October 1, 2007.

In actuality, since 1978, most fiscal years have begun with the various Federal agencies being funded under a ‘continuing resolution.’

Disputes over these appropriation bills have seen some Federal agencies closed and staff furloughed when the continuing resolutions run out.

This amendment could have some interesting repercussions in the Defense Department.

This was really quite impressive! I really appreciate Senator Dodd’s straightforward answers along with his ability to think on his feet to answer difficult questions off the cuff without the help of “talking points.”

I think the Senator should move up to “first tier” instead of being somehow relegated to the “second tier” of candidates. His willingness to take a stand BEFORE the supplemental bill has really impressed me. Personally, Obama and Clinton’s votes were too late, too safe. I want a president that is not afraid to lead–I don’t want an “opinion watcher” who is afraid to stand up for what they believe in because Faux News calls them a big meanie or partisan or heaven forbid a “liberal.”

This vlog has helped me get to “know” a potential candidate probably better than any other medium available at present–and I do appreciate the folks here at FDL for bringing it to the “rest of us”. I am keeping my eye on Senator Dodd now as he’s moved into my “candidate zone.”

Thank you again everyone!

Mutant Poodle @ 165

Scarecrow @ 162

We all sound like we’re from another planet. But we all vote. ;)

Some folks are even impressionable enough to listen to our opinions!

Guilty as charged!!! I’ll plead the Fifth, fifth of Crown Royal, tho!!! Awesome Vlog!!! :O

Half-measures and equivocations are not going to change our course in Iraq. If we are serious about ending the war, Congress must stand up to this President’s failed policy now and do what needs to be done.

My emphasis. In other words, congress needs to learn how to think about and talk about the reality which is on the ground now, which is entirely unacceptable, for both the people of Iraq and the USA.

I’m probably too late to this party to get something read in time but here I go;

I would like the democrats to start treating the president as though he has no military clue

whenever they address something he or cheney says I think they need to put use record of failure for the regard we have for them

things like;

“this president lives in some kind of fanstasy land where he actually makes statements as if he has any understanding of military strategy, he clearly does not.

he has disregarded the sage advise our generals and strategists gave to hime, he has ignored long learned military lessons

he diverted funds and resources from the fight against terrorism and every decisions he has made has facilitated our enemies

the president and this adminsitration have to understand we do not defer to their judgement when we consider national security or the health of our armed forces.

from the election forward, the American people spoke load and clear;

make certain this president’s decisions are scrutinized, do not let this administration do more harm to America then they already have done”

things like that, things like when cheney, bush or crystal get on tv and makes bizarre claims and statements that fly in the face of reality we have to say things like;

“for people that haves been wrong about every thing they’ve said or predicted, they sure act as if you have some kind of clue…they don’t, they are military morons…they have made decisions that have been so bad it looks like they are playing on our enemies team”

anyway, I hope I caught you before you left

TRex @ 119

juslin @ 107

this was excellent!! can we do this again and again?

We’ll see who else has the gumption to face the rabid lambs of Teh Lake.

Kudos to all involved…except I had no idea what was being said or what questions responded to besides HotFlash’s (thank you) brief liveblogging. On dialup, I will not be able to participate in any meaningful way. Got to read the questions. Even when the video becomes available, remember, on dialup, it takes an hour to load a five minute video and some of us pay by the minute.

Would be really helpful if those who ask the question could tell us what is said in response.

Scarecrow @ 177

I can’t get over the fact that a Senator and candidate for President was taking questions from and giving serious responses to people with names like Sparkles the Iguana, badwater, egregious and TRex. At least he didn’t have to respond to someone without a brain. This is funnier than the Daily Show — and it may wind up on . . .

Don’t forget Woodhall Hollow!!!!

While we were vlogging with Senator Dodd, he gave FOX News the back of his hand. Way to choose your media platforms, Senator!

The Fox News Channel/Congressional Black Caucus Institute debate isn’t quite dead, but it’s getting closer.

As the Times recently reported, the CBC is still trying to revive the event, and Joe Biden plans to attend, while Bill Richardson’s spokeswoman told the Times he hadn’t decided.

Well, Biden may be pretty lonely there. Richardson spokeswoman Katie Roberts and Dodd spokeswoman Christy Setzer both said today their bosses won’t attend.

I agree Senator Dodds stock just went way up with me.
Refreshing to see a politician take real time questions and give his point of view without doublespeak.

This was great.

Folks, if you like what FDL has done here, please help support such efforts in the future by giving generously at the Donation Box, upper right hand corner.

Credit cards, paypal, checks by snail mail, all most welcome.

Let’s make the next FDL breakthru possible!

snowbird42 @ 141

HotFlash @ 130

Hmm, I have two Dem senators here in MI, and I know how to write letters.

Oh dear, I have BobCorker (said in a nasally voice)

me too, but i still write to he and Lamar as if they work for me personally.
heh.

Audrey @ 185

Audrey, leave an email addy (format -at- this.com) and if there’s a transcript or a written response to other questions, we can email it to you.

Anybody else on dial-up with special needs?

Rayne, we’ve had several requests for either a transcript or summary of Q and A. I hope we can find a volunteer to make this happen.

Lots of people either on dialup or with hearing issues.

FYI, new thread

Matt/Jane –

You might want to update the post, to include a link to the Chris Dodd for President website. That really ought to be up at the top for any of conversations like this.

Audrey @ 184

TRex @ 119

We’ll see who else has the gumption to face the rabid lambs of Teh Lake.

Would be really helpful if those who ask the question could tell us what is said in response.

hhmmm… maybe the technology supports a transcript sometime soon after?

dial-up is painful for me.

Peterr @ 194

Matt/Jane –

You might want to update the post, to include a link to the Chris Dodd for President website. That really ought to be up at the top for any of conversations like this.

Good point.

Rayne @ 191

Audrey @ 185

Audrey, leave an email addy (format -at- this.com) and if there’s a transcript or a written response to other questions, we can email it to you.

Anybody else on dial-up with special needs?

Thanks Rayne and egregious. I do hope transcripts are available. This happens every time an event occurs here and I’m always looking for transcripts to everything Jane, Christy, Marcy, guests, etc do. Unfortunately they’re rarely available. I miss out on a lot. :P

bumpkin1 AT caprock-spur DOT com

Thank you. :)

TeddySanFran @ 186

While we were vlogging with Senator Dodd, he gave FOX News the back of his hand. Way to choose your media platforms, Senator!

Senator Dodd is a class act.

The video can now be played back above for those of you who missed the live broadcast.

Thanks once again Fire Pups — we’re all very excited in Dodd HQ right now for having this opportunity to talk with you and hear your questions and comments.

i may not always comment but my day begins with the lake and i always check for T REX in the late night ;>} – just so i can do my part in encouraging these VLOGS i’m sending a contribution via paypal – thanks again FDL!

Jane has a new thread upstairs. == Cheney = Big Time Liar

Dodd: “We hold the Bush administration accountable during the redeployment period by requiring the Secretary of Defense to regularly report to Congress on the drawdown of forces during that period; we institute measures that would make funding within the redeployment period contingent on the progress of the phrased redeployment; we restore the readiness of our military, we use additional funds that come in, the Reserves, National Guard, by transferring portions of the moneys that would have otherwise been available for combat activities. That’s the outline of the amendment. It hasn’t been drawn up as an amendment yet but those are the major provisions we would include in the bill. Again, we abbreviate the period between the enactment date and the beginning of redeployment, we maintain the same date at the end of March of 2008; we utilize the resources that come in to support Reserves, National Guard, military readiness. We have benchmarks in there to require reporting out of the Secretary of Defense office as to how that redeployment is working over that period of 8 or 9 months. Again, I invite your comments on this and thoughts. I thank you for what you did a week or so ago in building up support for the effort to oppose the supplemental but this time now with more than a month on our hands, I think we can lay this out in very clear terms here. This is not a time for us to be waiting around for the next president. We’ve gotta have the courage of our convictions to stand up to this one before we find even greater problems here to deal with in Iraq and elsewhere. So again I invite your comments and thoughts on it. Again I thank firedoglake for hosting me today to give me a chance to lay this out a little bit for you and then to respond to some questions that have come in already about this proposal as well as comments that have come in about these ideas. Again thanks for listening, I look forward to your questions.”

[Continued in 6 additional sections below]

Sparkles the Iguana @ 150

TeddySanFran @ 111

It was pretty funny when Matt said from offcamera, “Sparkles the Iguana asks…” Senator Dodd took it all in stride, I thought.

Yeah, that was funny. Something tells me he was mentally screening out the crazy nomenclature.

You can’t be a politician and not hear some unusual names.
See Ima Hogg, a wonderful Texas philanthropist for example.

Matt – thanks to you and the Dodd team – great job!

This is a wonderful format for dialog with a candidates. I would happily watch this every night of the week. Have other candidates been invited? Obama, Gore, Hilary, all of them.

I’m sure that all of you that have a high speed internet connection enjoyed the conversation. Unfortunately, I couldn’t participate.

Not complaining. Just stating a fact. Reality is that there are many of us who don’t have the connection not because we choose not to have it or pay for it. It just isn’t available where we live. Sad in this day and age isn’t it?

You would think that the good old USA would would be on top of the latest technology and make it available to all its citizens. Believe me, it doesn’t.

The “digital divide” lives. Always reminds me of Al Gore for some reason. (grin)

Bustednuckles @ 188

I agree Senator Dodds stock just went way up with me.
Refreshing to see a politician take real time questions and give his point of view without doublespeak.

This was great.

I gotta echo that. I was very impressed.

Welcome everyone, this is Matt Browner-Hamlin, campaign blogger for the Dodd campaign. You’re gonna hear my voice offscreen as I relay questions from you to Sen Dodd. Before we start with that, Senator, could you clarify for us what the defense authorization bill is and why this is the best legislation to add your amendment to.

Dodd: Theoretically before you can appropriate any money for anything the programs have to be authorized by Congress. This is not always adhered to as I’m sure all of you know and we have continuing resolutions or supplemental appropriations that include items that have never been authorized. But theoretically you’re supposed to authorize something before you appropriate. Historically we’ve done that in the defense area. So the authorization numbers can be a lot of times much higher than the appropriation numbers. But nonetheless they give you the authority to then appropriate the funds. The reason that we’re gonna try to attach it in the authorization bill is one, this is legislative language. You’re not allowed to put legislative language theoretically on an appropriations bill. That happens from time to time depending on how you draft it. But the best place to put legislative language is on an authorization bill. That’s the number one reason for including this language on the defense authorization bill next month but also it’s our next bite out of the apple if you will. After the defense authorization bill there will be a defense appropriations bill and then they’ll have to come back to the supplemental again sometime in the early fall. And I thought it made some sense since this is the next game in town so to speak that we ought to be ready to make the case. I was telling folks in NH last weekend that I intend to continue fighting on this. I didn’t just go thru this last week to drop the ball after this but rather to continue to make the case. And so over Memorial Day weekend as I read about more of our servicemen losing their lives, more Iraqi losing their lives, this hole getting deeper and deeper for us, that it seemed to me we ought to come back with something much more quickly than we did the last time and to make our case early on to build some support. So the defense authorization bill is really the right vehicle in many many ways for us to address this issue.

[Continued in 5 more sections below]

Thank you, egregious. Your reporting is really appreciated. :)

Jane Hamsher @ 88

Well that was pretty cool. Swopa, egregious, ok, badwater, trex…who else got their questions answered? Kathleen I think.

Question: Did all the commenter questions come from today’s harvest? Did *any* of them come from last night’s proffer?

At any rate, even though my Q from last night didn’t get used, this is a great format, and I hope that we can replicate it often with other candidates! Thanks to Jane & Christy for setting this up!

Bob in HI

Jane Hamsher @ 108

Unlike the Laesch video, I believe there will be a video of the session available soon in the window above.

I was not present at the beginning, so I was pleased to see that I could “tune in” at the beginning with the (recorded) version and replay the whole thing. Thanks for that bit of technology!

Bob in HI

Thank you Senator. We’re now going to go to commenters who are asking questions in today’s thread.

The commenter named HotFlash asks, can you explain what redeployment of US combat troops means in the context of your proposed bill.

Dodd: My redeployment would be that they be redeployed at least over the next 9 or 10 months within Iraq itself. I’m not opposed to the idea of some training functions, some border security issues, some counterterrorism activities. I understand that as well even some of that may go on afterwards. But the idea is to get our troops out of Iraq, to redeploy them either into Afghanistan where there are clearly some needs, the re-emergence of the Taliban is occuring in the country to redeploy them to bases that may exist in the region but out of Iraq or redeploy for many of our soldiers there back to the United States. So redeployment’s pretty comprehensive. Lemme just maybe anticipate a question some of you may have. I’m opposed to the idea of permanent US bases in Iraq. I don’t think there’s any need for that. And I know that many have been concerned about whether or not redeployment would mean keeping these bases in operation in Iraq itself. I think that would be a mistake.

The next question comes from the blogger Swopa. Can you provide us with some background in why the effort to include a timeline in the supplemental failed. Why were there not enough votes in the Senate to pass this bill.

Dodd: I’d have to ask each one of the people who voted for it for their rationale. But I think part of it was that time was running out in their minds and they thought they had to agree to a compromise early on. Look, I respect what leaders have to go through here to some degree. I understand they try to look at these things. I say respectfully to them and I have prior to the vote that my view is we should keep the pressure on here. We’re already seeing Republican members of the Congress having strong second thoughts about this military involvement in the Iraq civil war. They’d like to see us get out of it. They’re talking about benchmarks. They’re already moving not as fast as I am but moving in a direction that would limit our continued military presence in Iraq and so I think there was some of that. Also I think people were operating under the false assumption here that we’re gonna somehow immediately cut off funding for the troops in Iraq. That’s not the case at all. We’re talking about probably something close to 80B$ that would be spent. If we’re spending at 2B$ a week 8B$ a month we’re talking about redeployment which is gonna have some additional costs to it. That’s a lot of money to be spending over the next year in Iraq itself. We’re not gonna leave our soldiers sailors marines and airmen vulnerable. That’s a bogus argument. Has no validity. In fact the soldiers and sailors airmen and marines know that. They understand that better in fact than people out there using that argument. So I think some people were confused, that somehow we’re gonna abandon our troops. I hear it all. None of us want to be part of that at all. We realize that to make this message clear we have to end this policy. This is a failed policy. We’re more vulnerable less secure more isolated we’re weaker today in many many ways because of this president’s policy in Iraq.

[Continued in 4 more sections below]

twolf1 @ 155

Time to hit the tip jar…

twolf1 is a gentleman and a scholar.

Woodhall Hollow @ 161

juslin @ 146

TSF@ 125

i agree – it’s sooo immediate

Hopefully, they will all do this much more frequently.

Sen Dodd was a real trooper. No canned responses. He showed that he was able to speak intelligently about real issues because he is genuinely interested in real issues. This sort of format will not work for candidates who rely on canned responses to lame questions.

Were you thinking of anyone in particular?

Thank you Senator. We’re now going to go to commenters who are asking questions in today’s thread.

Sigh, what happened to yesterday?

kirk murphy @ 37

Senator Dodd, thank you for your efforts to end the Iraq Occupation.

If pro-Occupation Senators find the votes todefeat your amendment, would you be willing to filibuster the Defense Appropriations Bill until the amendment were accepted or cloture invoked?

….and would you be willing to force a cloture vote to clearly delineate who cooperated and who obstructed your efforts to end the Iraq Occupation?

Kirk, this is a freakin great question. was it answered?

eg. did you catch all that realtime??? dang

I know. I know. EPU’d again. we gotta make up a new idiom for getting left behind and staying there. hows about Tired?

guys (for whoever comes back to look), I think we found someone smart enough to be President again. bout time!

Yeah but you stood flat footed when the rogue elements of the government murdered their own citizens on 9/11.

Senator, the next question comes from commenter Massaccio, who asks: If we leave Iraq now there’s a significant chance that there will be enormous death and destruction as well as serious consequences for the oil reserves located throughout the country. What do you propose to do to deal with the misery that may follow our departure?

Dodd: Well let me say to you how much more misery could you anticipate? I mean 75,000 Iraqis I’m told have lost their lives in Iraq what, 100 more yesterday, 10 more of our soldiers yesterday, 5 today by the way have lost their lives. Two million people have left Iraq for Iran, Syria, or Jordan, a million in the country more are displaced. I don’t know how much more chaotic it can get. And look I don’t have any absolute certainty about what will happen after redeployment. Except I know the certainty of this: a continued status quo here, without any decision to begin to move our military out I think is going to only make the matters worse. By defining very clearly our the time frame here I think that will in many ways force the Iraqis to make some very difficult decisions about what sort of a country they want, if they want one at all. And I think in the absence of that, you’re going to find a continued delay or procrastination when it comes to those issues. So I think the time certainty here actually works to our advantage. And by the way once we’ve done that and simultaneously I believe there ought to be a surge in diplomacy, in politics, in economic resources. We’ve got an awful lot in our arsenal available to us to encourage neighboring Arab states to become more involved in securing or helping Iraq reach some stability in all of this. So this debate is not just redeployment of the military, but the other things constructively we need to be doing, engaging other nations to play an active role. I think it’s harder for us to do that quite candidly with a continued unending military presence in Iraq’s civil war. I think that once we make it clear that we’re terminating our military involvement in Iraq there’s a greater likelihood you’ll see greater participation, greater support for the non military activities that need to take place if in fact Iraq is to remain a nation-state and to bring some stability to the region. The oil resouces belong to the Iraqi people. The idea we’re going to stay in there to guarantee contracts to a handful of oil companies is no rationale in my view to continue losing lives, and the continuing chaos that persists in that country.

Senator, the next question comes from Oklahoma Kiddo, who asks: Would President Dodd advocate a reassessment of Middle East policy and place diplomacy front and center?

Dodd: Absolutely. Again, this has been stunning to me in a way. This is the first administration in my lifetime, Republican or Democratic, that treats statecraft, diplomacy as if it were a gift to your enemy, a sign of weakness. In fact this administration’s idea is, use military force first, if that doesn’t work try diplomacy. Historically you try diplomacy and politics in utilizing other tools available to you. The failure of all of that sometimes draws you to a military action. But this administration treats military action as the first arrow you draw out of your quiver, rather than the last one you should use to deal with these problems. So I want to see us get back to the very successful efforts that were made by the previous administration and others to try and bring some reconciliation in the Middle East. We need to restore our credibility our moral legitimacy as an honest broker in these areas. I think that’s gonna be almost impossible for us to do by perpetuating the present policy in Iraq.

[Continued in 3 more sections below]

Delivery is too much. Can’t hear what you say.

TiredFed @ 216

kirk murphy @ 37

Senator Dodd, thank you for your efforts to end the Iraq Occupation.

If pro-Occupation Senators find the votes todefeat your amendment, would you be willing to filibuster the Defense Appropriations Bill until the amendment were accepted or cloture invoked?

….and would you be willing to force a cloture vote to clearly delineate who cooperated and who obstructed your efforts to end the Iraq Occupation?

Kirk, this is a freakin great question. was it answered?

Thanks, TiredFed.

I try – but coming from you – I am not worthy.

Thank you.

An unscheduled patient came and another called – long talk. I was happy to talk with them, but missed the vlog after my question.

If he did answer, I missed it :(

Audrey @ 209

Thank you, egregious. Your reporting is really appreciated. :)

Yes – thank you, egregious.

Audrey @ 209

Thank you, egregious. Your reporting is really appreciated. :)

Gotta be some advantage to being OCD. You’re welcome.

Matt Browner-Hamlin: Senator, the next question comes from my good friend TRex, who wants to know if the resolution we are talking about today, the Dodd amendment, is binding on President Bush.

Dodd: Well it would be, to be honest, it’s an authorization number. Now as I say here you also have to deal with the appropriation but the authorization would be very very powerful in laws. Because you could not appropriate funds that have not been authorized. So it would really make it very very difficult for the administraiton to move in a different direction. Now I know they’d probably try. But this would be a major first step in that direction. They would try have to watch the appropriations process as well. This president is determined I think to continue funding this operation regardless of the opposition he faces. But I think this is a very important first step to clarify what we think needs to be done and to invite people to participate in supporting this effort.

Matt: Senator, there is a process question here, Sparkes the Iguana wants to know who is reading the questions, I will shoutout this is Matt Browner-Hamlin, I work for the Dodd campaign as a blogger and I’m happy to be here facilitating this conversation today.

The next question, back to you Senator, is from dakine01who wants to know: Are you going to introduce a stand alone bill to fully reinstitute habeas corpus and all other rights taken away from American citizens by the Patriot Act.

Well we already have, I’d invite your attention, I think it’s recorded on my website chrisdodd.com, I hope it is anyway, that you can look up that piece of legislation I introduced a number of weeks ago to do exactly what you’re talking about, to restore habeas corpus. By the way you should know on this, in drafting that legislation, my strongest supporters in all of that were the senior military commanders of the Judge Advocate General corps at the Pentagon. This is not some idea that came out of left field if you will. The people who are serious about military justice believe this was a huge mistake for us to do what the Military Commissions Act did last fall. I consider that vote one of the most serious negative votes the Congress has taken in a long long time. It was a major retreat from the rule of law and something we have prided ourselves on over the years. So I will do everything possible to try and build support for this legislation, and if not, if I’m elected as President of the United States, will use the powers of the presidency, executive order, to change as much of that as I can regarding habeas corpus.

[Continued in 2 sections below]

Thanks to egregious’s trancript:

“…if Iraq is to remain a nation-state oil resources belong to the Iraqi people…” – Senator Chris Dodd, 5/30/07

Hallelujah. That’s progress. Start spreading the news, Senator…

I also appreciated the lengthy explanation about the defense authorization vs. appropriation process from Senator Dodd. That’s helpful knowledge for us to have. Though I note with trepidation that the House’s FY 2008 Defense Authorization bill has apparently already been passed – so it sounds as though the ball has ended up very much in the Senate’s court. In any case, I commend Senator Dodd’s sense of urgency in not waiting for another mythical moment to act, and in determining to push forward on all fronts and to strike while the iron is hot.

[THANK YOU, egr.]

Matt: Senator, the next question comes from two Ohio University students who say they have lost faith in our elected representatives due to the invations of Iraq. How would you encourage two 19 year old students to get involved in the democratic process?

Dodd: Look this a major issue, there’s no question about it. sut if you don’t speak up and participate people will assume that the country is overwhelmingly in favor of it. I believe that people don’t realize not that this ought to be the deciding factor. and The first job of a president is to keep our country secure and safe I believe that our policy in Iraq has done just the opposite. less secure, lot more vulnerable we’ve got some serious issues our strength as a nation what it’s done to our military capacity on almost every single level this policy is doing us great damage. losing our moral authority. Those of the words of Colin Powell not my words, back almost a year go So we need your involvement here. I’m running for president because I care about issues like this. I wanna see our country get back on track again both at home and abroad. I wanna see values and ideals most of us stand for in this country so that once again we become the positive force in the world to make a difference gives a sense of hope and carry that message to people in these respective caucus and primary states to involved in the electoral process of our country Those who don’t get involved, who sit on the sidelines give the opposition more power, more influence if you will. If you’re not involved someone else gets your vote and their vote when it comes to being involved in these issues. I understand why you can be down about the outcomes here and certainly I would have liked a better outcome last week. But I’m not a quitter and I suspect you’re not either, and so quitters don’t pack up and leave. The vote last week just fires me up to be more serious about it and more determined about it than ever before. That’s why I’m offering this idea to day asking for your comments, what you think about it. Let’s try to finalize it in the coming days then let’s make it something we ask more members of Congress We need to stand up to this administration before we lose more lives and the credibility of our country suffers even more. When I was there finishing up college back well let’s call it a couple of years ago I went off and joined the Peace Corps. Many people have asked me over the years why did I do that. And a very simple answer I’ve given for many years :An American president asked me to. A generation of us got very excited about that Some joined the Justice department Vista, Civil rights movement, military, Peace Corps. We all thought we were part of something good happening. Making a contribution, Make this world a better place. Become in something larger than ourselves. I hope you’ll feel that same thing. We invite you to get involved with our campaign, get involved in someone else’s campaign. I’d love to have you help us, the the most important to get involved and make a difference. If you do I think you’ll find the same kind of rewards We won’t win every battle I think the country turning in our direction they want a different mission, a different change in policy. If you get involved I think you can help us get there.

[Continued in final section below]

Matt: question comes from commenter Woodhall Hollow, who writes: Senator Dodd, thank you so very much for speaking truth to power. The invasion of Iraq as Al Gore and others have pointed out was a catastrophic mistake, yet we are there. I am interested in the role that other Arab countries can play in helping us to see that the Iraqi people have an opportunity to move forward. Specifically how would you use diplomacy to encourage these countries, most especially Saudi Arabia to play a more constructive role in these efforts.

Dodd: Well it’s a great question one that too often we’ve left out of our discussion. The focusing on military presence in the Iraq civil war but obviously it’s not a question of waiting for that to end and then picking up the political, diplomatic approach. I think that ought to be going on simultaneously. Now let me just say I was pleased to see that the adminitration had conversation with the Iranians a few days ago. I’ve been calling for that for months. I think a similar conversation ought to occur with Syria. Not because we like them or we want to sit down and have dinner with them, but because great nations understand that if you’re going to make a difference in the world, you end up negotiating with people you disagree with. That’s certainly been true of almost every administration over the last 50 or 60 years. And the idea that we don’t engage these countries, asking them to become involved, I think has been a huge mistake. So we need to energize Saudi Arabia. Jordan has been helpful. Egypt needs to become more involved in it. To inquire whether there isn’t some common ground with Syria, I hear they share such a huge border with Iraq and has a vested interest in the outcome of policies in Iraq. So we need to utilize the good offices of our country to find ways in which these countries can become more involved politically, diplomatically, economically in stabilizing Iraq and offer some real answers here. I think one of the reasons that we are reluctant to do that today is because of our military involvement in the civil war. It’s very difficult to find the space where Saudi Arabia and these other countries can be helpful, other than welcoming refugees who are coming out of the country or some training facilities here and there. I think, frankly, as we make it clear that after four and a half, going on five years, longer than WWII, that our military presence in Iraq is coming to an end. I think if we use the kind of influence I believe we have, that decision, that time frame will open the door for these other countries to step up and assume a greater responsibility. I believe that will happen. And under the right kind of national leadership, I’d make that happen.

Matt: Senator Dodd, next to last question, there have been few questions in the comments about this. Specifically Badwater asks Condolezza Rice’s threat about defying troop withdrawal legislation seems to involve the use of signing statements by the President. What is your position on the use of signing statements?

Dodd: Signing statements have been used on legislation where the president makes up his own mind what he thinks the legislation is all about. It’s rather remarkable. It’s so antithetical to our Constitution. about the idea that a president’s thoughts about the bill where he had little or nothing to do except to offer ideas. He has no vote in Congress, the coequal branch of government. So signing statments I think are very dangerous and a bad precedent for disrupting what legislative history is. Legislative history is never perfect, I’m not suggesting it is. But if you’re going to have a president decide what legislation means, and disregard what the Congressional intent was, then it seems to me you make it more difficult for the Supreme Court which ultimately is asked to decide what the intent of Congress is. Signing statements by the president I think can be interesting, I don’t have any objection to a president offering ideas, but the idea they would have any legislative weight, or judicial weight, is something that I think is totally wrong.

Matt: The last question comes from commenter egregious: Is there more the federal government can do to help New Orleans?

Dodd: Well there ought to be. The first one is the kind of leadership that’s been absent here. We’ve seen some steps made recently but an awful lot more needs to be done. We need some real support behind the efforts to make sure people can get insurance in New Orleans and these other Gulf states where the insurance has basically left. Without insurance you cant get mortgages, it’s difficult to rebuild down there. There needs to be far more of an effort. This has been a disgrace, a national disgrace, that a major American city hit by a natural disaster has had to find itself this many months and years after the fact, still scrambling to get back on its feet again. That’s been disgraceful in my view. We’ve just recently passed legislation that Mary Landrieu, my colleague from Louisiana, authored, that enjoyed broad based support in the Congress, provides some assistance and support. Now I’ll tell you, it was part of this supplemental, which I disagreed with. I would like those kinds of issues to be separate, rather than confusing the support for the continued military presence in Iraq tied up with things like Katrina support. That should have been separated out in my view. I shouldn’t be forced to be put in position to have to oppose efforts to do something about Katrina, while simultaneously supporting the conflict in Iraq. I didn’t like that but I had to make a choice. I made the choice to be opposed to the supplemental. You can come back again with another supplemental. I’d be delighted to help out on these domestic issues. But Iraq is the major issue of the issue of the day: 2B$ a week, 8B$ a month, day after day people losing their lives, and destroying our ability to be a far greater influence in the world. I think it’s terribly dangerous for our country.

Matt: Thank you very much, Senator, I think that concludes our chat.

Dodd: Thanks very much I appreciate again firedoglake for providing the forum here, the venue for me to speak to people about this. We’ll keep the lines open obviously. We’re very interested in your comments and thoughts about our proposal. Thanks.

[End of transcript]

What a bunch of hot air. If he is so concerned, why did he say “Impeachment talk sucks all the oxygen out of D.C.”, or some such drivel?

Stay put in your pre-alloted Senate seat.

Who do you politicians think you are fooling, except the “highly educated” readers at FDL?

TiredFed @ 218

I know. I know. EPU’d again. we gotta make up a new idiom for getting left behind and staying there. hows about Tired?

guys (for whoever comes back to look), I think we found someone smart enough to be President again. bout time!

I agree (in case anyone else comes back). I liked him when he came and blogged before.