Remarks of Senator Christopher
J. Dodd
Caucus Night Remarks
The Temple for Performing Arts, Des Moines
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Thank you, Iowa - thank you.
I want to congratulate the other candidates for
running a spirited campaign representing the
best of what we stand for as Democrats and
Americans.
This evening Democrats sent a clear message that
this party is united in our belief that our
nation needs change to restore our security, our
Middle Class and all that makes this country
great.
Our campaign has been about results. And even
though tonight we didn't get the result we all
were hoping for, this experience has been one of
the most rewarding in my life of public service.
It was 47 years ago this month that I was seated
with my family on the East Front of the United
States Capitol in the bright winter cold and
heard President Kennedy ask all Americans to be
a part of something larger than ourselves.
It was a moment every American took part in. A
moment that changed us as individuals and as a
country.
For a generation of us, that moment fueled a
hunger to answer the call of our President.
A hunger to make a difference.
A year ago, announcing my campaign at the Old
State House in Connecticut where the first
written constitution guaranteeing the right to
representative government was enacted, I spoke
about the need for just such a moment again -
for our next President to renew that call.
Despite the results this evening, I still
believe that is true.
I always knew this endeavor would be an uphill
battle against very tough odds.
But just as I have learned again and again in my
life - from that day with my family…to my two
years in the Peace Corps…to my 26 years in the
United States Senate:
Only when you try can you truly make a
difference.
And that, my friends, we did.
While we came up short in the race for caucus
votes tonight, our campaign has more than kept
pace in the race of ideas.
By raising ideas no other Presidential candidate
has ever proposed, let there be no doubt that
this campaign has set the standard.
When we began this race, every Democrat was for
ending the war in Iraq - a war that has made us
not more secure, but less so.
But it was only when we stood up and said this
President wouldn't get another penny to fight
that war that other candidates committed to
doing what was necessary to actually end it.
When we began this race, every Democrat—every
American—agreed that in America, we should
never need a national crisis to bring the
country together with national purpose.
But only when we proposed a universal national
service plan to create the first generation in
history that served our country did the national
service debate begin in earnest - to create that
renewed sense of community we all want.
And after 7 years of insecurity and watching
this President have to go into hiding when he
traveled abroad, we were all for stopping this
President's assault on the Constitution.
But it was only when I stood up and you stood
with me—it was only when tens of thousands of
Americans stood together and said we would do
whatever it took to stop this President from
shredding the rule of law—that we actually did
stop him.
And that fight goes on.
Tonight I am withdrawing from the Presidential
race. But let me assure you, we do not exit this
race with our heads hanging - rather, we do so
with our heads held high.
Whether it is restoring the Constitution to the
American people, standing up to this President
to end this war, or starting the discussion
about what it will really take to tackle global
warming and bring the country together, we stand
confident that the difference we made in this
race will endure longer than any speech, any
election or any political campaign.
And none of it would have been possible without
the friendship and support of so many along the
way.
In the last few months, Iowans have learned what
Connecticut has known for years:
That Jackie Clegg Dodd is something else.
Elegant, eloquent, relentlessly on message - a
Presidential candidate could learn a thing or
two from a gal like her.
And our girls, Grace and Christina - honorary
Iowans these last few months. I keep telling
them that Connecticut audiences will appreciate
their ice skating and Irish dancing just as much
as Iowans have.
My brother and sisters, Martha, Bernie, Tom,
Carolyn, Gina, Chris, and Kelly and our nieces
and nephews - no one could ask for a more
supportive, loving family.
And all the members of the Connecticut
delegation. All of them came out and campaigned
their hearts out in the Iowa cold.
Jackie and I want to thank the caucus-goers in
Iowa and voters around the country stood with me
in this race.
Your support allowed us to energize this race
with new ideas rooted in our strongest, most
enduring Democratic principles.
Tonight we thank all Iowans for welcoming us
into their homes and hearts.
Jackie and I agree - the sincerity and
generosity Iowa families have offered us in this
campaign has been overwhelming. Your warmth and
hospitality.
One thing I've learned these last few months is
that this process starts here in Iowa for a
reason.
You understand that you aren't just making a
choice - you're making history.
And you are making it on behalf of a nation.
You dig and prod and poke - and you demand
direct answers to direct questions.
Candidates, the process and most importantly the
country are better served for it.
I want to thank my friends and staff - the
motley crew known collectively as "The Dodd
Squad."
They say that you can measure how people feel
about you by how hard they are willing to work
for you.
If that's the case, then as blessed as I have
been in my life, tonight I am more fortunate
than I ever realized.
Each of these men and women—and I wish I could
name them all—has worked their hearts out for
this campaign.
I want to say a special thank you to the friends
we made in New Hampshire, South Carolina and
Nevada - but most of all, my friends and
constituents in Connecticut.
Thank you for allowing me to share our common
concerns and confidence in a bright future with
the rest of the country.
My friends at the International Association of
Fire Fighters who have been out there day after
day for me, especially Harold Schaitberger.
Harold, you've always said that fire fighters
stand by those who stand by you. Well, in this
campaign, you proved it.
You didn't follow the polls - you followed a
higher power.
You followed your heart.
As I said when the fire fighters endorsed me
back in August, for them it was never about who
was in the lead, but who ought to lead.
It always has been.
I'll never forget the trust you put in me,
Harold.
And lastly, the hundreds of thousands of
citizens online who stood up time and again with
us - the NetRoots.
In this campaign, you helped us show just what
is possible when we stand up on principle, like
when we stopped that terrible FISA bill in the
Senate just a few weeks ago.
Tonight, I am infused with a renewed sense of
purpose and energy, having learned so much from
the hopes and dreams of the good people of Iowa,
New Hampshire and others around the country.
I will carry the determination and courage of
this campaign, as well as the result-oriented
leadership I offered, back to the important
battles that need to be won for the future of
our country.
As I have for 26 years, I intend to serve by
building broad, bipartisan support for bold
ideas rooted in Democratic principles, turning
them into national policies.
I commit that the fights we've waged in this
campaign will not end tonight, from our
Constitution to reversing global warming.
Whether it is the dozens that worked the field…the
hundreds that worked the phones…or the tens of
thousands that took to the blogs, I will make
sure that the voices that spoke with us in this
campaign are not forgotten but amplified.
Not ignored - but championed.
Nearly 40 years ago, my father said, "There's no
other calling in life where you can do as much
for as many people as you can through public
service."
"Lawyers only have so many clients.
"Doctors only so many patients."
"But a well-intentioned public servant can make
a difference in the lives of millions."
Tonight, I commit to work my heart out for the
eventual nominee our Party chooses from this
very talented field of candidates.
That remains our calling, our vocation, yours
and mine.
Thank you, friends and family.
Thank you all for the gifts you have given
Jackie and me - for your generosity.
Thank you, Iowa.
Tonight's Results (Thank you
e-Mail to supporters)
I count the past year of
campaigning for the presidency as one of the
most rewarding in a career of public service.
Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that
campaign tonight.
But there is no reason to hang our heads this
evening -- only the opportunity to look towards
a continuation of the work we started last
January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the
Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the
White House.
I know a lot of you came to this email list
through a shared desire to return our nation to
one that respects the rule of law, and I want to
make one thing clear to all of you:
The fight to restore the Constitution and stop
retroactive immunity does not end with my
Presidential campaign. FISA will come back in a
few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill
that includes retroactive immunity remains
operative.
You've been an invaluable ally in the battle,
and I'll need you to stick by my side despite
tonight's caucus results.
So, one more time, thank you for all of your
efforts throughout the course of this entire
Presidential campaign.
We made a real difference in shaping the debate,
and we'll continue to do so in the coming days,
weeks and years.
I'll never forget you, and what we've fought
for, together, over the past year.
Chris Dodd
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