Essential Estrogen

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd has gained his first endorsement in the Iowa Senate. Jeff Danielson, a firefighter in Cedar Falls and Navy veteran, serves as Iowa Senate president pro-tempore. In addition to his endorsement, he will serve as co-chair of Dodd's Iowa steering committee and as a member of the national steering committee.

“When it comes to protecting this country and strengthening our communities, proven leadership and experience matter,” said Danielson. “I am supporting Chris Dodd, because he is the candidate I trust to keep America safe and keep our middle class families strong. Time and time again, Chris Dodd has shown not only that he has thoughtful, bold ideas, but that he has the ability to pull people together to get them done.

“With the stakes so high for our country in this election, Chris Dodd is the proven leader we need in the White House and the proven winner we need as our Democratic nominee. I am proud to be endorsing Chris Dodd, and I’m ready to go to work across this state on behalf of his campaign.”

Danielson, 37, has represented Iowa Senate District 10 since 2004. His election to the Senate leadership by his peers last year made him the youngest President Pro-Tem in Iowa history.

Danielson's endorsement comes just weeks after the International Association of Fire Fighters announced their support and endorsement of Dodd for president. The fire fighters in Iowa quickly followed suit.

“Jeff Danielson is one of the most respected leaders in the Iowa Senate, and I could not be prouder to have his support,” said Senator Dodd. “As a Fire Fighter, a Senator, and a veteran, Jeff knows on a very personal level about the responsibility we have to protect our communities and to strengthen our families. He will be a tremendous asset to our campaign as a leader, a representative, and an adviser.”

Senator Danielson is a native of Waterloo, Iowa. He served in the Navy from 1988 to 1994, including two six-month deployments in support of U.S. operations in the Middle East. After leaving the Navy, Danielson became a professional Fire Fighter in Cedar Falls. While working and raising a family, Jeff used the G.I. Bill to earn an Associate of Arts from Hawkeye Community College, and both a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Northern Iowa. Danielson and his wife, Kim, have two children.

Dodd has also been making some waves in the blogosphere in recent days for his very public remarks regarding opponents Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in relation to their perceived back-tracking on Iraq.

"I was disappointed that Senator Obama's thoughts on Iraq today didn't include a firm, enforceable deadline for redeployment, and dismayed that neither he nor Senator Clinton will give an unequivocal answer on whether they would support a measure if it didn't have such an enforceable deadline.

"It is clear to me - especially after yesterday's testimony - that half-measures aren't going to stop this President or end our involvement in this civil war. I thought it was clear to Senators Obama and Clinton as well after they finally came around to supporting the Feingold-Reid measure and voting against a blank-check supplemental spending bill this spring. If 'enough was enough' then, why isn't it after the bloodiest summer of the war?

"Senator Obama has a gift for soaring rhetoric, but, on this critical issue, we need to know the substance of his position with specificity. Without tying a date certain to funding how does he plan to enforce his call for an immediate redeployment?

"The only specificity Senator Obama offered was a call for a new constitution, but that will do nothing other than provide the Iraqis and the Bush Administration another excuse to delay -- the ink is barely dry on the constitution they have.

"It is going to take bold leadership to change our course in Iraq. We need to do more than write letters to the President, we need to be clear with him.

"I urge Senators Obama and Clinton not to backtrack on the need for a firm, enforceable deadline and state clearly and directly whether they will support an Iraq measure if it does not include one."

The folks over at Connecticut Local Politics picked up on Dodd's statement and mixed in some of his remarks during the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus.

Dodd also chimed in with more of his own words as a guest blogger at The Huffington Post, and garnered over 200 comments for his trouble.

David Lightman, Washington bureau chief for Courant, provided a recount of the testimony in an article later that same day.

The following day, Dodd picked up more press in the form of a MyDD diary entry that praised the politician for his stance on the Cuba trade embargo.

All around it's been a solid two weeks for the Dodd campaign and, rumor has it, there are more endorsements to be announced, including at least one member of the State Central Committee.

And, on a much more personal note, happy birthday to Grace Dodd, who is celebrating her sixth birthday today. As the Irish like to say: May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. If that's too deep for you, Gracie, just know that someone who lives relatively close to Nebraska is hoping your day is filled with the brightest of everything -- and a really great new toy or two.