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.

Stay put in your pre-alloted Senate seat.

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

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]

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]

“…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.]

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]

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

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

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

Yes – thank you, egregious.

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 :(