2006.05.24: May 24, 2006: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Politics: Congress: Washington Post: Dodd weighs run for the Presidency
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2006.05.24: May 24, 2006: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Politics: Congress: Washington Post: Dodd weighs run for the Presidency
Dodd weighs run for the Presidency
Although widely regarded as a long shot, Dodd did receive kind words from Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) yesterday. Reid called Dodd "one of our premier senators," adding: "I just think he'd be a great president, as I think a number of other Democrats would be great presidents."
Dodd weighs run for the Presidency
Dodd Joins the Crowd With an Eye on '08
By Chris Cillizza and Charles Babington
Wednesday, May 24, 2006; Page A08
History has shown that the Senate is not the best launching pad for a presidential run, but no fewer than 11 members of the world's greatest deliberative body are weighing 2008 bids. The latest is Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who told the Hartford Courant on Monday that he had "decided to do all the things that are necessary to prepare to seek the presidency in 2008."
Elected to the Senate in 1980, Dodd, 61, has long harbored a desire to run for national office. He considered a bid in 2004 but backed off in deference to his fellow senator from the Constitution State, Joseph I. Lieberman, who ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primaries. After the 2004 election, Dodd was mentioned as a potential gubernatorial candidate but decided not to run.
He enters a Democratic field crowded with Senate colleagues. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is the front-runner for the nomination, and Evan Bayh (Ind.), John F. Kerry (Mass.), Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.) and Russell Feingold (Wis.) are all testing the waters. On the Republican side, John McCain (Ariz.), George Allen (Va.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Sam Brownback (Kans.) and Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.) are considering their options.
Dodd begins from a near-dead stop when it comes to fundraising and organization. He ended March with $2 million in his Senate campaign account. By contrast, Clinton had $20 million in her Senate account -- all of which can be transferred to a presidential committee.
Although widely regarded as a long shot, Dodd did receive kind words from Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) yesterday. Reid called Dodd "one of our premier senators," adding: "I just think he'd be a great president, as I think a number of other Democrats would be great presidents."
When this story was posted in May 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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PCOL Comment: Director Vasquez, let us be the first to thank you for your service to the Peace Corps, congratulate you on your new appointment, and wish you good luck in your future endeavors. Although we have had our differences over the years and we opposed your nomination in 2001, we think you are leaving a solid legacy of accomplishment and have served the Peace Corps well.
Initiatives and Accomplishments: Vasquez's major initiatives and accomplishments since becoming Peace Corps Director include: an agreement with Mexico in 2003 to host volunteers, sending RPCVs to work domestically in Hurricane relief after Katrina, emphasis on recruitment of minorities and of community college graduates, upgrading Peace Corps' infrastructure especially IT upgrades in the online application tracking process and the Volunteer Delivery System, an emphasis on safety and security of volunteers including the creation of a Situation Room at Peace Corps Headquarters, modifying Peace Corps' "Five Year Rule" for employment, and the expansion of the Peace Corps to its highest level in 30 years. He is the third longest serving Peace Corps Director after Loret Ruppe Miller and Sargent Shriver. |
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Story Source: Washington Post
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