Download the podcast here: May 16, 2007

Well thanks for visiting my website. I want to take a minute to tell you what took place yesterday and this morning on the floor of the United States Senate regarding Iraq.

May 15, 2007

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today addressed his colleagues on the Senate floor, and urged them to support the Feingold-Reid-Dodd amendment, which calls on the Congressional power of the purse to require the President to safely redeploy U.S. combat troops from Iraq.  The amendment would set a hard deadline for withdrawal and bring a responsible end to the war within ten months, and is expected to be brought to a cloture vote in the Senate tomorrow. 

May 11, 2007

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced today that he will join Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) as a cosponsor to an amendment to the Iraq Supplemental Spending legislation that would use the Congressional power of the purse to require the President to safely redeploy U.S. combat troops from Iraq.  The amendment would set a hard deadline for withdrawal and bring a responsible end to the war within ten months.  Senate leadership has indicated that the Senate will consider the Iraq Supplemental next week.

April 26, 2007

“Today, Congress has taken firm and decisive action to change the course of US policy in Iraq.  I have been among those who strongly believe the status quo in Iraq must end.  While I wish the bill passed today had included stronger language to immediately begin withdrawing combat troops from Iraq and set a hard date to complete that redeployment, nevertheless it does for the first time set new goals for this Administration and the Iraqi government that will mandate a change in the current “stay the course” policy. 

April 18, 2007

"Yet again the city of Baghdad is under attack – six separate bombs were detonated today causing the deaths of 170 Iraqis and injuries to an additional 190.  One bombing alone – in the Sadriya marketplace – killed at least 115 people and uproots any sense of security Iraqis may have had to carry on with their day to day activities.  Every day that our failed policy in Iraq continues, the difficulty of finding a political solution to Iraq's sectarian conflict increases, which is why I support the Feingold-Reid resolution which calls for combat forces to be redeployed by March 31, 2008.  What more will it take for President Bush to abandon the status quo in Iraq and seek a surge in diplomacy instead of a surge in American and Iraqi deaths?"

April 12, 2007

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a longtime advocate for ensuring that U.S. troops have the support and equipment they need, today issued the following statement in reaction to an announcement by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.  Secretary Gates issued a significant change in policy – single-handedly extending the tour lengths of those units sent to Iraq to 15 months – 3 months longer than before.  In addition, 13,000 National Guard troops from Arkansas, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Ohio, as well as other states, were recently told to prepare to be deployed to Iraq.

April 3, 2007

“It’s disheartening that the President does not see that his policy in Iraq is a failure.  If the President refuses to change direction in Iraq, Congress must exercise its Constitutional responsibility and act to end President George W. Bush’s failed policy

 

“The Feingold-Reid Bill helps Congress finally put the brakes on the Administration's failed Iraq strategy, and serves notice to the President in terms he can’t ignore.  

April 3, 2007

“Speaker Pelosi’s trip to Syria is absolutely appropriate and reflects her understanding that whether we like it or not, decisions by the Syrian government do impact the lives of our men and women serving in the Middle East in a real and direct way, and therefore we must engage Syrian authorities directly in order to influence their decision making process. Last December, my official visit to the Middle East, which included a stop in Syria, was also criticized by the Bush Administration for meeting with President Assad. The Administration’s effort to change Syrian behavior over the last two years with its policy of isolation has been a failure.  In recent weeks there has been a tacit admission by the Administration that the policy of isolation has not worked as it how now agreed to join in talks with all of Iraq’s neighbors, including Iran and Syria, to stabilize Iraq.  In light of that action, I find it extremely puzzling that the Administration would continue to criticize Congressional visits to Damascus. I commend Speaker Pelosi for her decision to include Syria on her itinerary, and I again urge the Administration to begin engaging instead of ignoring countries critical to our long-term success in the Middle East.”

March 29, 2007

“A majority of members of Congress have been saying for months that it is time to change our course in Iraq.  I have been among those who strongly believe the status quo in Iraq must end.  Today, Congress forcefully and responsibly went on record opposing the President’s failed policy in Iraq, and in so doing we have challenged the President to face reality.  This war has been terribly costly – over 3,200 young lives of our brave men and women in uniform and more than $400 billion – with no measurable progress.  It is not possible to justify “staying the course” any longer.  With this bill, Congress is offering the President an opportunity to change our course in Iraq, to listen and respond to the will of the American people, and to support the men and women sacrificing their lives there.  I urge the President to seize this opportunity to make America and Iraq stronger and safer.  This is not a time for party politics or for looking back.  It is a time for bipartisanship and forward thinking, and I sincerely hope the President will reconsider his decision to veto this measure when it arrives on his desk.  The American people deserve no less.” 

March 28, 2007

Today Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) issued the following statement in support of the Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, which would call for the phased redeployment of American troops in Iraq.

Statement of Senator Dodd on the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007