Dodd campaigns in N.H., looks to pull off the unexpected

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Presidential candidate Christopher Dodd spent yesterday with two New Hampshire Democrats who illustrate what he hopes to pull off: a surprise win against a presumptive nominee.

Though she hasn't endorsed a presidential candidate, US Representative Carol Shea-Porter joined the Connecticut senator at his New Hampshire headquarters to urge antiwar activists to spend the day making phone calls, writing postcards, and knocking on doors to pressure the president and Congress to remove American troops from Iraq.

Earlier in the day, Dodd campaigned with former state representative Jim Craig, who lost the Democratic primary to Shea-Porter in 2006 despite having more money and the backing of national Democratic leaders.

"I always hear about inevitability. One thing I learned last year is the only thing that's inevitable in politics is nothing is inevitable," said Craig, who is backing Dodd's candidacy. "I'm looking for someone who has the experience and the integrity to work and reach across the aisle, because that's the key. We've got to stop this partisan stuff. . . . He's the guy who can do that."

Shea-Porter, who went on to unseat Republican Jeb Bradley in the First District, praised Dodd for his leadership on Iraq "while others are trying to think about where they stand."

"I'm standing next to a senator who has known all along what the direction should be, and he knows the way out. And he has the courage to talk about it," she said. "A lot of people wouldn't drive within 100 miles of an event like this."

Dodd told the crowd that the war in Iraq has made the United States more vulnerable and less safe. "We're asking 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds to put their lives on the line, and then we're charging the bill of this war to the next generation of kids," he said, referring to his young daughters.

A recent poll of likely New Hampshire primary voters put Dodd at 2 percent, far behind Senator Hillary Clinton, who led the field with 40 percent. But Dodd said Shea-Porter's experience should serve as a reminder that someone "who may not have the most money in the world and may not be the most recognized in the world" can make a difference "with an idea, commitment, and a spine."

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Dodd sets up Iowa address

DES MOINES - Meanwhile, Dodd will have a new pitch to Iowans: Vote for a neighbor.

The Connecticut senator has rented a house in Des Moines, where he and his family will live until the caucuses in January. Dodd and his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, have two daughters, 6-year-old Grace and 2-year-old Christina. The Dodds are arranging to enroll Grace in kindergarten.

"They've rented a house in Des Moines, and the girls will be coming out as well," campaign spokeswoman Taylor West said yesterday. "It's one more piece of strengthening our operation in Iowa. We are committed to the state."

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Obama calls for dismissal

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday that the head of the Justice Department's voting rights office should be fired for saying minorities often die before they reach old age.

A Justice Department spokesman said the Oct. 5 remarks by John Tanner had been "grossly misconstrued."

During a panel discussion on minority voters before the National Latino Congress in Los Angeles, Tanner addressed state laws that require photo identification for voting and remarked that elderly voters disproportionately don't have the proper IDs.

"Of course, that also ties into the racial aspect because our society is such that minorities don't become elderly the way white people do. They die first," Tanner said, according to video posted on YouTube.

Tanner declined a request for an interview to explain his remarks.

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