Dodd: U.S. must withdraw

Pointing to reports that al-Qaida is gaining strength while the Iraqi government fails to meet benchmarks, Dodd said that Iraq "has become the petri dish for the jihadists."

The Connecticut senator said the situation was best illustrated by a serviceman he befriended shortly before he was killed in the Iraqi city of Karbala, Army Capt. Brian Freeman. Dodd met Freeman last year; the West Point graduate told him, "This is not sustainable. I want you to know it," Dodd said.

An Army investigation disclosed Thursday found that Iraqi police colluded with insurgents in the Jan. 20 attack that killed Freeman and four other U.S. soldiers.

Such stories, Dodd said, show that even those the United States is trying to help in Iraq are not supportive. "What more do you need to know?" he said in an interview.

Dodd said he differs from other candidates in his views of the war and terrorism. "Back in one of these debates, John Edwards was asked if terrorism was real; he said no, it’s basically a bumper sticker. I disagree. I think it’s real. My colleague from New York (Hillary Clinton) was asked whether we’re safer today or not. She said we were; I don’t think we are," Dodd said.

Edwards, in an April debate and elsewhere, has termed the phrase "global war on terror" a bumper-sticker slogan.

Dodd said Thursday afternoon’s vote in the House of Representatives to require a pullout of combat troops from Iraq by April 1 was proof of momentum to end the war. He predicted the Senate will be "moving very fast" to take similar action.

Dodd was in Las Vegas on Thursday to open his campaign office here, located near Sahara Avenue and Valley View Boulevard. About 50 people showed up to hear him speak.

Dodd, a senator in his sixth term, is one of the lesser-known candidates in the field, but he said Thursday, "I’m going to surprise a lot of people."

He told the audience, "You don’t want to be told this race is over with. This isn’t about a two-person race. It’s not about money and celebrity. It’s about whether you bring the background, the experience, the proven leadership, the optimism and the competence to get our country moving again."

Dodd this week was endorsed by Nevada state Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, who was on hand Thursday. Lee is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as is Dodd’s wife, Jackie; Dodd is Catholic.

The pairing once inspired Dodd to joke about the evangelical college in South Carolina, "At Bob Jones University, we are a two-cult family."

Dodd has the glad-handing mien of an old-school New England politician, something that tends to come out in the anecdotes he tells. Telling the Las Vegas group that he hoped to attend the upcoming funeral of former first lady Lady Bird Johnson, Dodd noted that she was friends with his mother, while President Johnson went way back with his father, former Sen. Thomas Dodd.

"My father seconded Lyndon Johnson’s nomination for president at the Democratic convention in 1960 in Los Angeles," Dodd recalled.

Sweating through his white shirt, Dodd noted, "It’s hard to talk about global warming in 106 degrees," but claimed he is the candidate with the most comprehensive plan to deal with climate change.

He said his plan to cut carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050 and raise gasoline mileage standards would cost $50 billion per year, or about 10 cents per gallon of gasoline. "While my idea may be expensive, the status quo is a lot more expensive," he said.

Dodd answered audience questions about the Darfur crisis and the importance of education and campaign finance reform, speaking for about half an hour and then shaking hands and conversing with audience members.

Las Vegas social worker Lorraine Jurist, 36, said she came to Dodd’s event because she wants to give every Democratic candidate a chance to win her over, even the lesser-known ones. She liked what Dodd had to say about Iraq, the most important issue to her.

"At this point, for me, it’s too early to choose one Democrat over the others," she said. "I’m just trying to find out as much as I can about all the Democratic candidates."