Chris Dodd for President

Congressman Sam Farr of California had a post on The Hill's Congress Blog yesterday in which he wrote about why he supports Chris Dodd and how his service in the Peace Corps has prepared him to lead the country. It's a relatively short piece, but Rep. Farr makes such a great case for Chris Dodd that I'm reprinting it in full below:

I have known Chris Dodd for 30-some years and share a special bond with him: we both served in the Peace Corps. For me, and I believe for Chris too, the Peace Corps was the most life-affirming experience we have ever had. It was there that we discovered how strong we could be as we faced daunting third-world environments. It was there that we learned how sensitive we are to the needs of people and how deep our desire to serve. It was there that we came to know that a life of service was our calling.

As I watch my friend Chris – now Senator Dodd – I realize that he has never wavered from that original Peace Corps mission. He is still dedicated to people and their basic needs. He wants to improve the condition of man. And he cares very, very deeply for preserving the face of America around the world as a beacon of democracy and justice.

Chris does this not for himself, but for the American people, the people he loves more dearly than himself. For Chris, it’s all about serving.

I can think of no one better suited to lead America. Chris Dodd is a man of principle, a man of the people, a man of the Peace Corps. That’s enough for me.

Speaking of national service, this would be a good time for those not familiar with it to read Senator Dodd's American Community Initiative, a plan for universal national service and a call for a new American patriotism. Here's the video of Senator Dodd's national service speech on the steps of city hall in Nashua, NH - the exact same place where John F. Kennedy held his first campaign event in 1960.

Chris Dodd speaks at Iowa State University about his experience the Peace Corps and how individuals serving in the Peace Corps represent the best of American values. He also talks about his drive to expand the Peace Corps and invest intelligently in improving our reputation abroad.

Video courtesy of ElectionTV.

Ethan Wilenski-Lanford has a long article in today's Concord Monitor on Senator Dodd's service in the Peace Corps and his vision for national service in a Dodd administration. It's a great read and contains a few stories about Senator Dodd's time living in the Dominican Republic that I hadn't heard before.

Do you still need a good Halloween costume? Well why not go as the next President of the United States?

Required Materials and Instructions for the Chris Dodd Halloween Costume:

White Hair - Use hair color to turn your hair into a bright white just like Chris Dodd's.

The white hair represents the seven years and two presidential vetoes that Chris Dodd had to work through to pass the Family and Medical Leave Act. It also represents the 26 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where Chris Dodd has been involved in every major foreign policy decision over the last quarter century. A fluent Spanish speaker, Dodd personally met with world leaders to help resolve conflicts in Latin America. In addition, he worked closely with Senator Ted Kennedy and President Bill Clinton to help facilitate the Good Friday Peace Accords that brought peace to Northern Ireland.

A Passion for Service

As a young man, inspired by President Kennedy, Chris Dodd joined the Peace Corps in 1966 and served for two years working in a rural village in the Dominican Republic, where he became fluent in Spanish, before going on to serve his nation in the National Guard and Army Reserves.

A copy of the Constitution

Chris Dodd carries a copy of the constitution with him everyday. As a Senator he has fought tirelessly to restore the constitution and roll back the Bush Administration assault on the rule of law. As President, the first thing he will do in January 2009 is restore the constitution, restore the rights of Habeus Corpus, and restore America's Moral Authority.

A folder with literature about Dodd's bold ideas

Whether the issue is Iraq, restoring America's standing in the world, driving down health care costs, fixing our schools, or building an economy that works for all Americans, Chris Dodd is offering bold, innovative ideas because he knows half-measures won't get the job done.

A few of Dodd's bold ideas to mention:
A corporate carbon tax that would punish polluters and spur the innovation of environmentally friendly technology.

Free community college for all Americans.

The American Community Initiative - a comprehensive national service plan that will draw upon the very best of our character to call Americans to service.

Via PeaceCorpsConnect, we learn that the Senate has approved an amendment authored by Senator Dodd for a $10 million funding increase for the Peace Corps.

We are happy to report that last night the Senate approved an amendment to the State/Foreign Operations Appropriations bill to increase the Peace Corps appropriation for Fiscal Year 2008 by $10 Million. This raises the Senate funding recommendation for Peace Corps to $333.5 Million - the same funding level approved earlier by the House of Representatives.

The Senate amendment was sponsored by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT; Dominican Republic 66-68) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). To offset the Peace Corps increase, the amendment included a recommendation suggested by the NPCA to reduce $10 Million in unobligated funds used for foreign military finance programs.

Chris Dodd served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic from 1966 to 1968. He's proposed doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011 and again by 2050. His American Community Initiative a comprehensive national service plan that will draw upon the very best of our character to call Americans to service.