2007.03.05: March 5, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Politics: Congress: Election2008 - Dodd: The Capital Times: The Capital Times writes: Chris Dodd has made the defense of the Constitution and the restoration of the rule of law central to his outreach to voters

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Dominican Republic: RPCV Chris Dodd (Dominican Republic) : RPCV Chris Dodd: Archived Stories: 2007.03.05: March 5, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Dominican Republic: Politics: Congress: Election2008 - Dodd: The Capital Times: The Capital Times writes: Chris Dodd has made the defense of the Constitution and the restoration of the rule of law central to his outreach to voters

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The Capital Times writes: Chris Dodd has made the defense of the Constitution and the restoration of the rule of law central to his outreach to voters

The Capital Times writes: Chris Dodd has made the defense of the Constitution and the restoration of the rule of law central to his outreach to voters

"One of the saddest days I've spent in public life, in the United States Senate, occurred last fall when the Senate of the United States passed the Military Commissions Act," Dodd says of the law that eliminates habeas corpus protections and retreats from traditional U.S. commitment to the Geneva Conventions. "I want to see us get back a nation that supports the rule of law," argues the senator, who has proposed legislation that would restore habeas corpus protections to detainees, bar information acquired through torture from being introduced as evidence in trials, and limit presidential authority to interpret the Geneva Conventions. Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic in the 1960's.

The Capital Times writes: Chris Dodd has made the defense of the Constitution and the restoration of the rule of law central to his outreach to voters

Editorial: Chris Dodd, D-Constitution

A Cap Times editorial, March 5, 2007

No one is going to mistake Chris Dodd for a front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nod. And while the senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee may be a well-respected man about Washington, he is rapidly learning that doesn't count for a whole lot in Keokuk, Iowa, or Dixville Notch, N.H.

But Dodd has hit on a campaign theme that is worthy of attention. He has in recent days made the defense of the Constitution and the restoration of the rule of law central to his outreach to voters.

"One of the saddest days I've spent in public life, in the United States Senate, occurred last fall when the Senate of the United States passed the Military Commissions Act," Dodd says of the law that eliminates habeas corpus protections and retreats from traditional U.S. commitment to the Geneva Conventions.

"I want to see us get back a nation that supports the rule of law," argues the senator, who has proposed legislation that would restore habeas corpus protections to detainees, bar information acquired through torture from being introduced as evidence in trials, and limit presidential authority to interpret the Geneva Conventions.

Dodd is not alone among the candidates in having cast a vote against the Military Commission Act of 2006. Both New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama joined him in doing so, as did Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich - although, notably, Republicans who should have known better, especially Arizona Sen. John McCain and Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, backed it.

But Dodd's "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007" initiative does distinguish him from the field. He is making his commitment to addressing the damage done by the Bush administration to basic civil liberties central to his campaign - talking about the issue in his campaign swings through early primary and caucus states, featuring his commitment at the top of his campaign Web site and launching a separate www.restore-habeas.org site that highlights a video of the candidate discussing the roots of America's commitment to the Geneva Conventions and the rule of law.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, has signed on as a co-sponsor of Dodd's bill. So has the chairman of the Constitution subcommittee, Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold, who it should be noted has a better record as a defender of civil liberties than anyone in the Senate, including Dodd.

But neither Clinton nor Obama has yet done so. Every candidate chooses issues with an eye toward enhancing electoral appeal, and Dodd is no different. He is well aware that grass-roots Democratic activists have been especially, and appropriately, concerned by the Bush administration's assaults on the rule of law. But even if there is a measure of political calculation in his focus, it is meaningful that a senior senator, who will be a key participant in pre-primary debates, has chosen to put the defense of the Constitution at the top of the agenda.

No matter how he fares in the caucuses and primaries, Dodd's initiative is consequential. An essential element of any presidential campaign season involves the defining of issues, and the 2008 race offers an opportunity to remind Americans that they do not have to sacrifice liberty for security. As Dodd says, "I take a back seat to no one when it comes to protecting this country from terrorists. But there is a right way to do this and a wrong way to do this. It's clear the people who perpetrated these horrendous crimes against our country and our people have no moral compass and deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But in taking away their legal rights, the rights first codified in our country's Constitution, we're taking away our own moral compass as well."

George Bush and his allies have made the Constitution an issue in the 2008 race. Chris Dodd deserves credit for recognizing that fact and addressing it legislatively and politically.




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Headlines: March, 2007; RPCV Chris Dodd (Dominican Republic); Figures; Peace Corps Dominican Republic; Directory of Dominican Republic RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Dominican Republic RPCVs; Politics; Congress; Connecticut





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Story Source: The Capital Times

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Dominican Republic; Politics; Congress; Election2008 - Dodd

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