WASHINGTON -- Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd, at a press conference this morning, became the first candidate to say that he would not support a new "blank check" supplemental spending bill for President Bush. Dodd was also the first candidate in the Senate to publicly declare his opposition to the supplemental spending bill in May.
At a press conference announcing his endorsement by the International Association of Fire Fighters, Dodd responded to a question about the reports that President Bush will request an additional $50 billion in funding for the war, stating:
"It is a civil war in Iraq and those who have understood this issue have argued from the very beginning that there was never going to be a military solution to the civil war in Iraq. I intend to fight any efforts here, I'll do whatever I can to support whatever our troops need to have a safe and secure withdrawal from Iraq. But I don't intend to continue to fund the war over there that I think has no end. As long as we're there, I think the Iraqis are not going to come together as a people. It's about time we wind down our military presence there."
Dodd reiterated his opposition to supplemental funding again this afternoon while appearing on CNN's Situation Room stating, "I led the effort a few months ago to oppose the supplemental bill and I'll do it again here. This is a conflict for which there is no military solution."
In response to a question about former Senator Edwards' call for Congress to oppose supplemental funding, Dodd continued:
"Well, I wish John were back in the Senate to be of help to us on these issues. And it's sort of easy to sit out in the country making these pronouncements.
"I happen to agree with that. I tried that back earlier this year. There were only 14 of us that opposed the supplemental bill. I really think it's time for us to realize this military solution is not going to work. We have a time table that will allow for our troops to come back over the next 7 or 8 months. But the idea of continuing this operation at the magnitude they're talking about here, I think it's only creating a petri dish in Iraq for jihadists, for terrorists who are going to impose greater risks to the Middle East, as well as America. I think we ought to terminate this funding."
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