Dodd Says It's All About Experience

Chris Dodd says Hillary is taking credit for her husband Bill Clinton's achievements while he was president as she campaigns on experience:

"I'm far more experienced," Dodd said, adding that his wife Jackie "wouldn't take credit for the Family Medical Leave Act" that Dodd authored.

In the following video, Dodd says Hillary's experience as first lady is similar to that of Laura Bush:

I couldn't agree more with Dodd's analysis of Hillary's experience. As I have said before, Hillary is uniquely inexperienced to be president.

Dodd also says the Bhutto assassination has caused voters to focus on foreign policy, which Dodd says could strengthen his campaign in the final few days before the Iowa caucuses:

"What's been brought home to us, in very stark ways in the last 48 hours, is the importance of proven experience and ability in dealing with domestic and foreign policy issues," he said. "Caucusgoers had a sobering experience with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and they're now going to think twice about maybe earlier choices, or they will solidify their decision to go with a lesser-known candidate but a more experienced one."

Dodd may be right that the Bhutto assassination will remind the voters that we are still in a war against extremists. That is not going to help Dodd's campaign. Dodd has consistently polled poorly in Iowa. I expect Dodd to withdraw from the race shortly after the New Hampshire primary.

Comments

[fouse, gary c]

As the Iowa caucus approaches, the primaries are getting downright petty-on both sides. Now that the world has been shaken by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan reels on the edge, all the candidates are trying to outdo each other by trying to convince the public that they have the most requisite foreign experience that now rightfully seems more important than ever. As expected, the worst examples of pettiness are coming out of the Clinton and Obama camps.

Clinton, of course, keeps talking about all her experience as First Lady while her husband was in the White House. She talks about all the countries she visited. In one recent statement, she said to ABC News, "I think my experience is unique. I have been 8 years in the White House, having yes, been part of making history." She also claimed that she had unsuccessfully lobbied her husband to intervene militarily in Rwanda, then later went to Uganda to apologize to the victims. She contrasted her "experience" to the lack of foreign policy experience on the part of Obama. In response, Obama played up his experience of spending some childhood years in Indonesia, which he contrasted with Hillary's traveling on overseas trips and "drinking tea". Not to be outdone, Hillary recounted her trip to Bosnia to attend a peace treaty signing, in which she had to "run from the airplane to avoid 'possible' sniper fire". (learning a few tricks from Bill, eh Hillary?)

Meanwhile, David Axelrod, one of Obama's horseholders, all but implied that Hillary bore some responsibility for Bhutto's death since she had voted for the Iraq War. (Huh?!!?)

Bill Richardson, a former UN Ambassador, made an ill-advised comment that the US should force Musharraf from power.

Mike Huckabee started whining about some 600+ Pakistani illegal aliens who had entered the US illegally, supposedly the largest national influx after the Mexicans.

Then there is Joe Biden, who is all over this issue trying to illustrate why he has the most experience (probably true). He is letting everyone know that he had sent requests to Musharraf to enhance Bhutto's security after the initial assassination attempt. This morning, he told a TV interviewer that just before she died, Bhutto had sent an e-mail to a Biden associate with a message for the Democratic senator. (By the time, Joe tells this one a few more times, it will sound like Bhutto's last words were...."Get Joe.") Of course, like all the Democrats, Biden blames Bush for not having done more to keep Bhutto alive.

It is unfortunate, but hopefully, Bhutto's death will have a positive effect on our own elections in re-focusing the public's eye on the dangerous world that is out there.

gary fouse
fousesquawk