Chris Dodd for President

The Des Moines Register has a great write up on Senator Dodd's discussions of foreign policy and the situation in Pakistan at an event in Logan today. It goes on to talk about the Caucus for Results bus tour and how Senator Dodd is reaching out to voters in the closing days before the Iowa caucus.

Senator Dodd appeared on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" tonight to talk about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the implications for US policy.

In his weekly post at MyDD on the Dodd campaign, Jason Rosenbaum talks about expectations for Senator Dodd in Iowa and how recent events, notably the FISA fight and a surge in online contributions, have positioned Dodd to exceed them on caucus night and beyond.

Athenae at First Draft posts a picture of Senator Dodd packing up gifts for the troops, as well as some coverage of Mike Caulfield's endorsement of Senator Dodd.

techPresident says Senator Dodd's showdown with Bill O'Reilly this past August was the #8 video in presidential politics this year.

David Dayen, who's also posting at Digby's Hullabaloo these days, has a long string of posts analyzing the political situation in Pakistan following Benazir Bhutto's assassination earlier today.

One of our Iowa volunteers, Anne-Marie Medonis of Wethersfield, CT talks about why she supports Chris Dodd for President.

During today's White House Press Briefing, spokesperson Dana Perino was asked about the Bush administration stance on suspending constitutional rights in order to fight terrorism. Think Progress reports:

Q: Is it ever reasonable to restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism?

MS. PERINO: In our opinion, no.

In this case, she was speaking about Pakistan and actions taken by General Musharaff to suspend his country's constitution by declaring emergency rule. Sadly, nothing of what we know about the Bush administration's actions over the last six years suggests they have taken their own advice.

From abandoning habeas corpus to domestic surveillance to torture to extraordinary rendition to data mining and on, the Bush administration has used the fear of terrorist attack to violate the most basic principles espoused in the Constitution. And those who questions the necessity of these actions were accused, either explicitly or implicitly, of being on the side of the enemy.

Ms. Perino is right. No government - not America, not Pakistan - should suspend its constitution in the face of a terrorist threat. But the Bush administration has consistently and persistently fought against the rule of law in the name of security. It's time President Bush to listen to his spokesperson and defend the Constitution as it is written, without exception for threats of any size or nature.

Today, Senator Chris Dodd released the following statement in opposition to cutting off aid to Pakistan, and urged diplomatic methods to maintain relations with the government and people of Pakistan.

"The Bush administration has been myopically focused on promoting the trappings of democracy around the globe, while at the same time ignoring building the foundations of a democracy. And that myopia has been at the expense of our nation's national security. This is evidenced so clearly in the unfolding political crisis in Pakistan.

"The Bush administration never should have outsourced winning the Afghan war of necessity against al Qaeda and the Taliban regime to General Musharraff and the Pakistani armed forces - they were incapable of winning that war without bringing Pakistan's political institutions to the breaking point.

"Now we have another crisis on America's plate. First and foremost, we must not allow Pakistan to devolve into total chaos. That is not in America's national security interest and it is not in the interest of Pakistan's future. Restoring stability as quickly as possible is essential.

"To do so we must maintain relations with the government and people of Pakistan, including Pakistani Armed Forces, as we support internal efforts to broker a political compromise to the internal conflict.

"I am firmly opposed to cutting off assistance to the government and people of Pakistan at this time - in fact I would argue that additional assistance might even be necessary in the coming days.

"Elections are important, but elections alone will not return Pakistan to a democratic path without a grand bargain among all of Pakistan's power centers. We also need a sustained commitment to the real pillars of democracy - the rule of law, freedom of the media, and freedom of assembly.

"That commitment has been sorely lacking in our current policy. American leadership is desperately needed at this critical moment and for the foreseeable future. That is why the next President must be experienced, pragmatic and ready to take on the job the first day in office."