I admit - i put that headline there so people would click on it. I in no way think Dodd supports the KKK.
Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut talking about the former member of the Ku Klux Klan, West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, on the floor of the Senate when Byrd cast his 17,000th vote on the floor of the Senate.
<b>DODD: Robert C. Byrd in my view, Mr. President, would have been right at any time. He would have been right at the founding of this country, he would have been in the leadership of crafting this Constitution, he would have been right during the great conflict of Civil War in this nation, he would have been right at the great moments of international threat that we faced in the 20th century. I can't think of a single moment in this nation's 220-year-plus history where you would not have been a valuable asset to this country.</b>
***<a target=new href="http://mensnewsdaily.com/archive/newswire/news2004/0401/040804-dodd.htm"><b>Media Silent on Dodd Comments, Intense When Covering Lott (LINK)</b></a>
"He was also a staunch, vocal opponent to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and holds the distinction of being the only senator in U.S. history to vote against both the nomination of the late Thurgood Marshall as well as Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court, the only two blacks ever appointed to serve on the nation's highest court.
More recently, Byrd told Tony Snow on "Fox News Sunday" in March 2001 that he believes "there are white [n-word]."'
***<a target=new href="http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040408-122244-5534r.htm"><b>Dodd praise for Byrd hit by GOP (LINK)</b></a>
Sen. Tom Daschle said there was "no parallel" between Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's praise of Mr. Byrd and Republican Sen. Trent Lott's praise of former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond.
***<a target=new href="http://www.townhall.com/columnists/Armstrongwilliams/aw20040407.shtml"><b>Where's the outrage now Democrats? – Armstrong Williams(LINK)</b></a>
This is somewhat puzzling considering that when Sen. Trent Lott remarked that the country would have been better off if former segregationist Strom Thurmond had won his 1948 bid for presidency, the Democrats demanded his ouster. And rightly so. Lott's racially-insensitive remarks were indicative of his upbringing in "a time and a place" that regarded blacks as inferior. Lott's remarks suggested that he just didn't get it, that he had no ability to truly empathize with what it means to be a minority in this country. The Democrats understood this. Flanked by the Congressional Black Caucus, they pumped their fists at Lott and demanded that he vacate his post.
***<a target=new href="http://www.townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/mm20010307.shtml"><b>Sen. Robert Byrd, ex-klansman (LINK)</b></a>
This ex-Klansman wasn't just a passive member of the nation's most notorious hate group. According to news accounts and biographical information, Sen. Byrd was a "Kleagle" -- an official recruiter who signed up members for $10 a head. He said he joined because it "offered excitement" and because the Klan was an "effective force" in "promoting traditional American values." Nothing like the thrill of gathering 'round a midnight bonfire, roasting s'mores, tying nooses, and promoting white supremacy with a bunch of your hooded friends.
***<a target=new href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_040704/content/rush_on_a_roll_2.member.html"><b>Dodd Blasted Lott Comments (LINK)</b></a>
December 15th of 2002 on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, there is this little post. "Democratic officials have been much quicker to criticize Lott, although to date only Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin have called for Lott's resignation as majority leader.
Senator Christopher Dodd came close Sunday on Late Edition. He said, 'If Tom Daschle or another Democratic leader were to have made similar statements, the reaction would have been very swift. I don't think several hours would have gone by without there being an almost unanimous call from the leader to step down.' Dodd said the problem lies with the Republican Party. 'Mainstream Republican thinking over the last 40 years has been opposed to an awful lot of the civil rights legislation. So this isn't just about Trent Lott, it's about a party that needs to come to terms with this view here, that you go to South, you say one thing to one group of people and another thing nationally.'"
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How is this any different from what Lott said about Strom Thrumond a few months ago? There's no outrage now, Jesse Jackson is not calling for him to step down. Its not on the news 24 hours a day... He talks about the US being better if Byrd, a former member of the KKK, would have been a founding father.
I know what Dodd and Lott were doing - both were trying to make a old man happy for a while. Nothing racially motivated in either case. But when Lott says it, he's a raciest?! Dodd says it, and NOBODY reports it! Lets get some balance please.