Sen. Dodd made the right choice

Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd made the right decision Tuesday in announcing he will not seek re-election to a sixth term this year. It is the right decision for the state, for his Democratic Party and for his personal legacy.

Sen. Dodd's dismal approval rating only promised to sink further when the campaign went into full swing. The campaign would have subjected Connecticut voters to a barrage of negative advertising aimed at the incumbent, the senator having handed ample ammunition to any future opponent. And Sen. Dodd would have done what politicians do: respond in kind.

Faced with that future, Sen. Dodd, 65, reached the conclusion that there was a far better choice — retire from the Senate when his term ends. It is a decision that allows him to punctuate his career by having played a critical role in the passage of health care reform by the Senate rather than ending with a nasty campaign and likely defeat.

This realization came through in his formal announcement not to seek re-election.

"On the early frigid dawn of December 24th, Christmas Eve, with snow piled high along the streets of our nation's Capitol, I cast one of the most important, if not the most important, votes of my years in the Senate — a bill to fundamentally reform the health care system of our country," Sen. Dodd said.

"An hour later I was standing on the Virginia hillside at Arlington Cemetery, where Ted Kennedy rests along with his brothers in eternity, as he is in history, wishing I could have seen the look in Teddy's eyes as the Senate took that historic step only an hour before."

A more civil Senate campaign

With Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal almost certain to replace Sen. Dodd as the Democratic nominee, we suspect we'll see a campaign — while certainly not free of attack ads — at least conducted at a higher level, if for no other reason than there will be less fuel to fire negative commercials. Mr. Blumenthal's most likely Republican competitor will be former 2nd District Congressman Rob Simmons. If that's the contest, state voters will face an interesting choice.

Sen. Dodd fell victim to his own political self-importance and sense of entitlement, human flaws often displayed by those who grow comfortable with Washington's power — particularly those like the senator who at times appear politically invincible.

But while the end was not great, no one should forget Sen. Dodd served his state and nation well in many ways. Of particular note was his leadership on human service issues — the founding of the Senate Children's Caucus; his authoring of the Family and Medical Leave Act that has allowed tens of millions of people to take time to care for newborn children or ill family members; and his staunch advocacy for affirmative action and fair hiring practices that helped minorities and women compete in the workplace.

Connecticut on back burner

The downfall began with his quixotic quest for the presidency beginning in 2007. Relocating his family to Iowa for the caucuses and enrolling his child in school there sent the message that it was his own priorities, not those of Connecticut citizens, that mattered most to the senator.

Chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Sen. Dodd funded his short-lived campaign largely with lavish donations from the financial institutions the banking committee was supposed to be regulating. When the abuses of that industry dragged down the economy, Sen. Dodd became a primary target of the public's anger.

News that he had accepted VIP treatment in accepting two mortgages from Countrywide in 2003 added to the perception that Sen. Dodd was for sale. While a Senate ethics panel eventually cleared him of any ethical violation, it also noted that once Sen. Dodd learned "your loans were in fact being handled through a program with the name 'VIP,' [and] that should have raised red flags." The fact that it didn't points to an arrogance that undid his popularity. He was a senator; why should he question VIP treatment?

The downward spiral continued in 2009, when Sen. Dodd, at the urging of the White House, amended legislation to allow executives at AIG to receive whopping bonuses despite the massive taxpayer bailout their company was receiving. Sen. Dodd's confusing and seemingly contradictory statements as to how the amendment came about further eroded confidence in the senator.

Free of re-election concerns, we look to a productive last few months for the senator. Indications that he is ready to reach across the aisle to Republicans in framing financial industry reforms is news that all should welcome.

Perhaps no one will ever surpass Sen. Dodd's 30-year record as the longest serving senator in Connecticut history. We wish him well in his pending retirement or whatever else may come next.