MyDD has started a new series where supporters of the different Democratic presidential candidates are given limited front-page blogging privileges to talk about their candidate. Big Tent Democrat of TalkLeft (aka Armando of DailyKos) was tapped to post on MyDD's front page about Senator Dodd on every Thursday.

BTD's first post is now live. It's titled, “How Chris Dodd Won My Support: By Leading On the Issues Now“. He leads off with a story that's actually relatively similar to my own — of not really looking for a candidate to support, but being won over by Dodd's bold leadership on issues right now.

I never expected to be supporting any of our fine candidates for President at this point, much less Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT). I was not shopping for candidates. Indeed, I insisted (insist?) that the Netroots has spent 2007 too focused on the 2008 horserace instead of being focused on the pressing issues of today, especially the Iraq issue.

But that actually explains how Chris Dodd won my support. Chris Dodd is leading on the issues of today as well as discussing his vision for the issues of tomorrow. Take Iraq for instance. While Dodd thoroughly explains his views on what he will do about Iraq as President, he has spent just as much time explaining and stressing the critical importance of Democrats doing all they can now to end the Iraq Debacle. This is not an issue that can wait 18 months. Thus Dodd argues that we must:

End the War in Iraq Decisively. Chris Dodd understands that ending the war in Iraq makes America safer. He strongly supports the Feingold-Reid proposal – the only responsible measure in Congress that sets a timetable to end the war in Iraq by March 31, 2008 – and he has urged all the candidates in the presidential race to join him. It is time to stand up to the President's misguided Iraq policy.

(Emphasis supplied.) More than anything else, this position won my support. Instead of introducing a “Dodd plan” for getting us out of Iraq, to buttress a stump speech, Chris Dodd put the issue first, he put the nation first, and he argued for what Democrats (and any Republicans with wisdom and courage) should be doing NOW, not in January 2009, to end the Iraq Debacle. With this one act, Chris Dodd demonstrated the type of leadership, political courage, selflessness and wisdom that we need from our future President.

BTD goes on with other examples of how Dodd's leadership on restoring the Constitution and warrantless wiretaps continued to win him over. He concludes:

Clarity and conviction. Leadership. Today. Not a promise of leadership starting in January 2009. That is how Chris Dodd won my support. Sure, Dodd has all the 16 point plans on health care and education and the like. You can go to his website if you wish to see them. But Chris Dodd has demonstrated leadership, clarity and conviction now on the issues that matter now.

And that wins me over every time over promises of leadership to come in January 2009.

Go read BTD's entire post — it's also cross posted at TalkLeft. Tim Tagaris and I are really looking forward to having BTD singing his support for Chris Dodd on the front page of MyDD — look for his next post on Thursday, August 23rd.