Iowa Journalist Endorsement

Sioux City Journal opinion writer Paul Guggenheimer endorses Chris Dodd for President.

The only easy thing about this decision is knowing that the next president of the United States should be a Democrat. This year's field of Democrats is outstanding and it's hard to pick just one. But since only one person at a time can occupy the big chair in the oval office, I'm endorsing Christopher Dodd for president.
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The dire situation facing Americans calls for something more than time-lapse measures, I'm afraid. George W. Bush's failed leadership has devastated this country in so many ways that it will take years to assess the full extent of the damage he and Dick Cheney have inflicted upon our economy, our military and our reputation abroad. In other words, there is no time for ramping up. We need someone like Dodd who possesses a clear vision, proven leadership skills and has instant credibility to draw upon from his years in the Senate, to step right in and get to work on bipartisan solutions to the problems we face.

We are in a situation that calls for experience and Chris Dodd has it. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980 after serving three terms in the House. Now in his fifth term, Senator Dodd is the chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which oversees America's financial institutions. As for what I mean by vision, Dodd formed the first Children's Caucus in the Senate and spent seven years working to enact the Family and Medical Leave Act that has helped 50 million working Americans avoid having to choose between their job and their family.

With all the damage Bush has done to America's image overseas, Dodd has the public service pedigree, knowledge and statesmanship to restore it. His father, the late Sen. Thomas J. Dodd, was one of the lead prosecutors during the Nuremberg Nazi war crimes tribunals that helped establish America's moral authority. Chris Dodd captures that period in his brilliantly written book "Letters from Nuremberg: My Father's Narrative of a Quest for Justice." And he has allowed that quest to inspire his own life and deeds dating back to 1966 when he joined the Peace Corps and moved to the Dominican Republic where he built a school and a maternity clinic in rural communities.

About the only strike against the guy is that he voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, but then so did the top-tier candidates with the exception of Obama. But unlike Hillary Clinton, Dodd has admitted his mistake and won't end up compounding it. On perhaps the most important issue of this election, Dodd has a clear and compelling solution calling for U.S. forces to be taken out of densely populated areas in Iraq and used for border security, training, counter-terrorism activities or sent to Afghanistan.

So, there you have it. Like many of you, I have seen and heard most of the candidates, Democrat and Republican, in person and had the pleasure of meeting many of them during this past year. The beauty of what we have here in Iowa is the opportunity to shake a man (or woman's) hand, look them in the eye and see for ourselves what they are made of. And it's become obvious to me that Christopher Dodd should be our next president.

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