Chris Dodd for President

2008 Central gives a side-by-side breakdown of the various Democratic energy policies. Senator Dodd's plan for energy independence and stopping global warming stands out as the most comprehensive and bold. Additionally, no other candidate has proposed a Corporate Carbon Tax. Rob of BlueSunBelt is getting our campaign updates via Twitter -- the free messaging service is how he found out about the new television ad. John Nichols of The Nation again looks to Senator Dodd to provide the leadership to stand up to President Bush and demand a timetable for ending the war. David Lightman of the Hartford Courant goes in-depth on Senator Dodd's new ad, "Ready to Lead." Iowa blogger Lynda Waddington writes a touching memorial for David Behrle, a member of Tipton Community High School's Class of 2005 in Tipton, Iowa, who was killed in Iraq over the weekend. Friends and family have been leaving rememberances on Behrle's MySpace page. DailyKos commenter NYFM writes "For his part, Chris Dodd was the first guy to sign on to Feingold-Reid, and says without equivocation that given his 2002 vote back, he'd vote resoundingly "NO". Oh yes, he's the only guy in the bunch with any military service." Thanks to ConnecticutBlog and Tom Bevan for providing their readers with coverage of Senator Dodd's energy plan and new ad.

Today the Dodd campaign launched our second ad. "Ready to Lead" is now on the air in Iowa, New Hampshire, and on national cable stations. Senator Chris Dodd is ready to lead. Through his leadership, we are moving the conversation from half-measures to bold solutions on our most pressing challenges: ending the Iraq War responsibly, stopping global warming and ending our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. On energy, he is proposing the boldest plan of all presidential candidates, which includes a Corporate Carbon Tax and 50 mpg fuel economy standards. Senator Dodd is receiving wide praise for his leadership on these critical issues. John Nichols of The Nation recently wrote:

But the Senate Democrats who would be president have, as a group, take an anti-war stand that is far more in keeping with the sentiments of the American people than most of official Washington yet understands. That's good for the party and good for the country. And it is unlikely this would have happened without the timely intervention of the candidate [who] is moving the Democratic race in the right direction: Chris Dodd.

New York Times columnist Tom Friedman said on Friday:

Chris Dodd finally said the t-word. He came out in favor of a carbon tax. And that's the good news. The bad news is, he's the only one.

The stakes are great. Senator Dodd is offering clarity, conviction, and honesty in his leadership. Are you ready to support Senator Dodd's bold leadership? Text of the ad below the fold.

Senator Dodd just released this statement:

"For the sake of both our economy and our national security, we must break our addiction to Middle East oil by investing in new, clean and reliable fuels we can cultivate right here using the ingenuity of the American worker. "This is not the time for half-measures and dancing around the edges. We need leadership that will act with honesty and conviction to do what needs to be done to meet this challenge. "By dramatically increasing fuel standards and enacting a Corporate Carbon Tax that would invest in alternative energy, the Dodd Energy Plan would break our addiction to Middle East oil and help make energy more affordable for our families."

The Dodd energy plan aims to reduce 80% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, raise fuel economy standards in automobiles to 50 mpg, and enact a Corporate Carbon Tax to discourage corporate pollution and stimulate innovation. Read the full fourteen point plan here. Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley says, "Chris Dodd gets it, and his energy plan reflects the fact that we need honest and bold action if we are going to be serious about ending global warming." Sign up to support Senator Dodd's energy plan at http://ChrisDodd.com/energy_independence.