On the Campaign Trail with Ed Tibbetts

Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd made his first television ad in Iowa a memorable one.

You can see it here.

Dodd, a Connecticut senator, focuses on Iraq and touts his plan to get out by forcing a troop withdrawal by March 31, 2008. He then criticizes his rivals by saying “unfortunately my colleagues running for president have not joined me.” (Note: Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, does favor cutting off funds).

More pointedly, if a bit indirectly, Dodd also looks to be taking a shot at Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York. He says: “We can’t simply wait for a new president. We should have the conviction to stand up to this one.” Clinton often says that if President Bush doesn’t end the war, she will.

It’s not exactly a screaming attack ad, but it gets the point across. The ad is Dodd’s first, and it’s running in Iowa and New Hampshire.

For a guy who’s far back in the pack in the polls, it’s an interesting way to introduce yourself. The ad may be a bit risky, but there’s some history to show it might be a good move.

Howard Dean got on the map by attacking the war — and the Democrats who voted to authorize it — before the 2004 caucuses.

That’s a bit tougher this cycle. (For one: Dodd was among those voting to authorize the war, though he’s since said it was a mistake). And, of course, there’s all sorts of folks taking tough anti-war stands.

But as the war drags on (both in Iraq and between the White House and Congress over what to do about it), there’s a significant chunk of Democratic voters who yearn for the Dean-like feistiness this ad appears aimed at projecting.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 15th, 2007 at 8:47 am and is filed under On The Campaign Trail. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.