I've been in positions of authority and have in the past been approached by contractors who have offered me great deals... [paid for by other folks who did not have the power or authority I possessed. I learned this was not appropriate sometime before high school.

Of course, I never wished to be a representative for this nation, apparently a job which has much less morality and ethical standards...

Such a tragedy we have promoted. I'm just amazed that, after knowing we cannot trust these mobsters to adhere to the same principles they continually espouse to the rest of the world... that we somehow honor and trust the lives of ourselves and our children to these same opportunists...

A few more election cycles and we will probably not have to worry about such things... IMHO

Everyone knows what happened and everyone saw the testimony of Countrywide executives who admitted Dodd knew he was getting special treatment. This culture of corruption smells.

The Hartford Courant has been one of the loudest voices in the pillorying of Sen. Chris Dodd, frequently running front-page banner headlines trumpeting the latest accusations.
They have now been convinced by all the recent testimony and the available evidence that there is no scandal. In a recent Editorial, the Courant wrote:
"No matter how badly Mr. Dodd mishandled this long-running issue from the get-go, especially by waiting too long to release his mortgage documents, the evidence supports him. The senator and his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, negotiated interest rates and terms widely available in the marketplace when they refinanced the two homes. That's not special treatment."
source: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-dodd-mortgage-ok.art.artjul31,0,5007503.story
An Op-ed piece in the same paper goes further:
"Indeed, Dodd's 10-year adjustable rate on the Connecticut house was slightly higher than the average rate for a 15-year conventional fixed rate mortgage (4.48 percent) for the week of July 3, 2003, according to The Wall Street Journal."
source: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-cibes-dodd-countrywide.artjul31,0,2770137.story
These statements will undoubtedly be received by Dodd's opponents in the same way that the birthers have rejected all the evidence of the President's place of birth. But these are the facts. This whole episode has been part of a smear campaign, aided and abetted by a lazy news media.
oldswede
Posted by oldswede

Nothing to see here,...Move along!

At the very, very worst this is minor mischief. But for some it is enough to not vote for Dodd. Well I live in Connecticut and I vote. And I will not vote for Chris Dodd. And not because of this little puff of smoke. An not for either the housing bubble or the economic mess we find ourselves in although I think Dodd is partly responsible for those. And not for the pompousness he has assumed.

No I will vote against Mr. Dodd because I favor TERM LIMITS. I might even vote for a Republican, especially Rob Simmons who is a decent guy. People of America, WE all need to enforce term limits. YOU need to do in it your town and in your state.