Dodd is a six-term senator and chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Despite Dodd's many years of public service he said he considers himself relatively unknown, describing himself as an old politician with a fresh face. A recent CNN poll showed his support for the Democratic nomination to be less than one percent.
At Dartmouth, Dodd voiced his opposition to the increase of U.S. troops in Iraq, saying instead that he supported a "surge of diplomacy." If elected president, Dodd said he would begin recalling troops from Iraq immediately. He highlighted the fact that he was the only candidate to support the Feingold-Reid bill, which demands that U.S. troops be completely withdrawn from Iraq by March 21, 2008.
According to Dodd, the military is creating more conflict then it is resolving in Iraq. He advocated that the United States engage with various sects throughout Iraq in order to bring about a diplomatic solution to the war. Dodd admitted, however, that there was a chance his plan might fail.
"I have no certainty of [a diplomatic solution in Iraq] at all. What I do have certainty about is that the status quo is going nowhere," Dodd said. "There's not a treasury deep enough or an army large enough to win if the Iraqis are not willing to take the responsibility for themselves."
Dodd also spoke about U.S. dependence on foreign oil, which Dodd believes is closely linked to the war in Iraq.
"The fact of the matter is that the reason [for the war] was oil, in a sense. If it was a country that was rich in another resource then the reasons for going in would have been different."
Dodd noted that he is the only candidate to support a cap and trade system to reduce carbon emissions, as well as a carbon tax on corporations.
"Everyone agrees we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. But it's not going to happen miraculously," Dodd said. "The great obstacle is price, it's money."
Dodd argued that, every time companies begin to invest in alternative energy sources, the price of oil drops, making such alternatives economically unsound. Dodd said a carbon tax will be crucial in stabilizing the price of fossil fuels, while money raised from the tax could be spent to develop environmentally friendly technology.
Dodd stressed the importance of overcoming partisanship to confront the current challenges facing the U.S.
"People say that this country is divided," Dodd said "The country is not divided at all, what's divided is the political leadership."
Dodd highlighted his achievements in building consensus in the Senate, where he worked with Republicans such as Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to create the first Children's Caucus.
"In the 32 years that I've held public life, I've never asked anyone what political party they belonged to." Dodd said.
The forum was sponsored by the College Democrats, Sustainable Dartmouth and the Rockefeller Center.
