Biden, Dodd to abandon White House runs
(CNN) - Delaware Sen Joe Biden and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd abandoned their bids for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night.
"I count the past year of campaigning for the presidency as one of the most rewarding in a career of public service. Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that campaign tonight," Dodd said in an e-mail message sent to supporters tonight.
"But there is no reason to hang our heads this evening - only the opportunity to look towards a continuation of the work we started last January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the White House. ... You've been an invaluable ally in the battle, and I'll need you to stick by my side despite tonight's caucus results."
"I'm withdrawing from the presidential race, but let me assure you, we do not exit this race with our heads hanging," Dodd told his supporters Thursday night. "Rather, we do so with our heads very, very high."
Dodd received less than 1 percent in the Iowa caucuses, with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
The 5-term senator called his campaign "one of the most rewarding in my life of public service" and said the results, while not what he had hoped, "sent a clear message that his party is united in the belief that this nation needs change."
Biden sounded a similar note. In a speech before his supporters - who at one point chanted - "Joe, Joe," he said: "I ain't going away, let me make that clear." He said he had no regrets, and the reason he embarked on the campaign was because he believed in the nation. "There's no reason not to be happy," he said. "The promise of this nation is immense." He said he plans to return to the Senate as head of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Meanwhile, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson - who will finish a distant fourth in Iowa, with roughly 2 percent of the vote - is staying in the race. "We are on the way to New Hampshire tonight. We plan to make this a referendum on the Iraq war. This is far from over," Press Secretary Tom Reynolds tells CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.
Richardson Communications Director Pahl Shipley confirms the news, adding that "New Hampshire is a new game. Every vote counts."
Related video: Biden drops out
Related video: Dodd drops out
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If so many are for change why are so many supporting the candidates that
are void of experience?
How do you fathom your Candidate of Change is going to bring that change about when they don't have the experience or know how to do so???
You don't walk into a White House as President with virtually no experience, rub your Chrystal Ball, make a wish and watch it turn into reality!
Some of these comments really make me wonder if Americans even know what they want or what, better yet who, is best for America.
So Clinton finishes third among democrats....How's she going to beat a republican?
Mr. Biden impressed me at times
these two losers have always been losers
That's what the Right wing newspapers do. I have one question for you Obama people. What exactly is he experienced at ? I hear people from Illinois on C-Span and they say he did nothing for them. What experience does he have other than, "Fired Up ?" I'm for Edwards, certainly not Hillary. If we get Hillary it will be some of the same we have now. I have always been on the side of the Clinton's, not anymore. I have grandchildren that are draft age and Hillary will be another Bush. Please read and get educated before you vote for someone you don't know anyting about. That's how we got ourselves in the situation we are in now. We can't just look at the outside of a candidate, check their background.
Biden was the one democratic candidate that actually answered questions and expressed new ideas rather then deliver the easy runaround answer. Thank you Iowa for giving into the mainstream media hype of the big three rather than doing a little research and learning that Biden would be the best option. Now we are stuck with the polarizer that is Clinton, Obama the freshman, and Edwards the hypocrite. Such an embarrassment…The best choice remaining may very well be Ron Paul.
Senator Biden please wait for a Veep offering. by Hillary or Obama.
Go Hillary44 08! http://hillaryis44.org/ http://facts.hillaryhub.com/
For a little national election snapshot: http://uselectionatlas.org/2008.php
Kenny in Vero, I hope your predictions come true! People like Biden and Dodd and Richardson knew their odds. They are running for cabinet posts. Biden would make a good sec of Defense, Dodd or Richardson, sec of State. It's the team that the winning candidate assembles that makes it work. Look at the current team in office and you can see what NOT to do!
This is going to be a great election cycle! I may not move to Canada after all!
I am still hoping for a Clinton/Biden ticket. I really liked Biden, but knew he probably wouldn't get the nomination because he didn't have the resources Edwards, Obama, and Clinton have.
I certainly hope Iowa doesn't set the standard for the nominees....Oh My!!! If our choices are Obama or Huckabee, our country is in trouble!!! Obama is too naive and inexperienced...not to mention, he is WAY to charismatic and draws people to him in a very eerie way if you ask me. Then you have the opposite with Huckabee...going to turn us into a country ruled by the church.
Good riddance – both of these clowns had as much of a chance of getting to the White House as my baseball glove.
Go G.O.P.!!!
my comment to we are all american citzen this yeae in america only presdent mrs helery she can win ask why this 2008 year only helery can win alla gift to she to do ameican presdent no any body alla say iasm great to win this compain only mrs heilery not hilery but alla give to she big gift
I watched the coverage last night on Fox and saw Sean Hannity looking happier than he has looked in years. The Republicans want us to nominate Obama and they have been very open about it. They have repeatedly named him their favorite candidate. Look out people, why do you think that is true? As to those of you "independents" who will vote republican in the big election, I suspect you have long history of doing that anyway. As to the independent and republican votes Obama seems to pull now, well they will evaporate in the actual election and all become republican votes. I can't tell you how many "independents" I know who have told me about how they regretted voting for Regan, Bush, Bush, etc. after their guys screwed up the country and they wanted an excuse to back away and run from the blame. Obama's votes are fake, they are people voting to stop the best and toughest candidate from stepping up to win. I am also sick of this Clinton/Bush stuff. Clinton and Bush are as different as night and day. Mrs. Clinton is not Bill either. That combo stuff is Rove's work and a lot of you are falling for it. If you are naive enough to think any of the elected republicans in the house or senate will come together with Obama sing camp songs and fix the damage to our government's balance of powers or constitution they fought so hard to achieve, then you will get to keep the damaged constitution, system of gov., and loss of rights they crafted and you deserve that. I don't. I have never regretted my votes and I will continue to vote according to what's best for this nation not who might have a beer or party with me after work. I am also not voting on what people I hope my candidate will attract as they learn how to govern . I am voting on what I know they will do. My vote is for Hillary a woman who knows how to work and work hard for this country and its future.
People are crying about experience, but these candidates have old, status-quo, worn out experience. Their so-called experience gives us the same ways of thinking that Washington grooms them to be. Voters want real change, OBAMA 08!
Steve Franks, your notion that we should place a classified ad for the next president, hyperbolic as you may have intended it, is ludicrous at best. Senator Biden has more experience dealing with the governments in the Middle East than almost any other viable presidential candidate and certainly more than any of the current presidential candidates in either party. His understanding of the intricacies of international relations far surpasses that of many lifelong foreign policy experts. He is the fourth most senior Democrat in the Senate having served there for 34 years, and for the past ten years he has been the ranking Democrat in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He was instrumental in pursuing the campaign against Milosevic and his proposals demonstrated his ability to leverage influence toward effective solutions involving NATO.
There are multiple branches contained within an effective means of securing our nation's future energy resources. Knowledge of the Middle East is, as you point out, beneficial. There is no candidate who is more qualified in this respect than Senator Biden. However, there are many other important elements of an effective policy which you somehow seem to have overlooked. Instead of continuing our dependency on foreign oil, we should begin to assess our own resources more seriously and, even better, accelerate the research and development of alternative, more environmentally friendly sources of energy. A knowledge of the Middle East should not be the only consideration in choosing the President of the United States. Rather, we should be looking for someone who can spearhead change in the very policies themselves, someone who can be innovative and effective in leading, someone who understands the needs of the American people as well as the situations across the rest of the world. Senator Biden's experience and proven leadership made him a wonderful candidate and it is unfortunate that he is no longer in the race.
From the begining the media (print and TV coverage) has only showed us Clinton,Obama,Edwards which gave them higher poll numbers and more money in their campaigns. How do the other candidates compete when the playing field is so tilted from the begining. When they say the media picked the winners, I agree. The Republicans story is a little different, candidate Huckabee won in Iowa with no money but he had the secret ingredient for a Republican candidates, he played the "I believe in God more then you do card", then the media was forced to start showing him, and he won in a landslide. What a sad day in America...(They say Fox news is biased but aren't they all, shame on all of them) Joe Biden would of been a great President !
I would have voted for either of them. I think they both are true democrats and both deserve a chance in the White House.
Joe Biden was my favorite mainly because he focused on his principles and somewhat respected Senator Clinton more than any other of the candidates. He appears to have a good soul and isn't affraid to hold people responsible...even President Bush.