MARK SMITH / PVT U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., campaigned in Pahrump Friday night, apparently the first Democratic presidential candidate ever to come to the town. MARK SMITH / PVT Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd is framed by Jim Petell's arm and head as he addresses local party faithful at the fire station Friday evening. Advertisement

Hailed as the first appearance ever by a Democratic presidential candidate in Pahrump, the visit by U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., to the Pahrump Fire Station Friday night, reflected both the growing population of Pahrump and the growing political importance of Nevada.

The scheduling of the Nevada Democratic caucus for Jan. 19, 2008 -- the second in the country -- means 2007 has become a campaign year.

While many politicians have sought to distance themselves from Washington, D.C., Dodd said his long-time connection is the very attribute that sets him apart from the pack of Democratic candidates. Dodd touted his experience in bringing people together in a divided Congress.

"I can't think of another election cycle over the last 25 to 30 years where, if I stood up and said, 'Listen, I've done a quarter-century in the United States Senate,' that was enough to disqualify you as a candidate immediately. But I think these days we recognize that experience is something we need to have," he said.

Dodd recited his role in authoring the Family and Medical Leave Act, child care legislation, election reform and other issues where "I've reached out and taken a Democratic principle and made it a national policy by inviting people who I normally wouldn't agree with on much to find a common ground."

Dodd said he's familiar with the chairmen of every major committee from his many years as a senator.

"This is not a time for us to fool around and spend the next two or three years talking about it and deciding whether we get to know each other well enough so we might do something about the issues," he said.

His comments on some issues -- withdrawing from Iraq, the scandal over conditions at the Walter Reed veterans hospital, independence from foreign oil, and an issue that reverberated in Pahrump, cracking down on employers who hire illegal aliens -- drew applause .

Bob Parker said he read in the newspapers about 80 illegal aliens being arrested in Arizona, but he never reads about the employers who hired them being fined or prosecuted.

"The quickest way I know to begin to slow this down is to have severe penalties, civil and criminal, against employers that knowingly hire these undocumented aliens," Dodd replied. "As long as people need the jobs and people will pay the price for doing it, they're going to do it. Don't tell me we're genetically ill-disposed to do certain jobs."

Dodd admitted he hasn't raised as much money as other candidates, about $9 million. "But what I love about Nevada, and what I love about these other states, you give a guy like me a chance," he said. "I may not have as much money, may not be as well known yet, but there are about nine or 10 months before you cast the first votes in the state ... I don't think you want to be told by the national media the race is over with."

Dodd said he was against the Yucca Mountain Project. Congress needs to be careful how it deals with nuclear waste and not load it up in one state, he said.

On Iraq, Dodd, who initially voted to authorize the war, said, "We've done as much as we can do. Whether you agreed about going in or not initially, the fact of the matter is the Iraqis are going to have to decide whether or not they want to become a country, and if they don't, there's not a country big enough or a treasury deep enough that's going to buy it for them."

Dodd promoted a "surge in diplomacy" with neighboring countries, like Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to encourage them to bear some of the burden.

On energy, he promised, "In 20 years you'll no longer be dependent for a single drop of energy coming out of the Persian Gulf."

Different parts of the country could work on alternative energies, like wind power, solar power, ethanol, ocean gradients or coal.

"There may be other reasons why we're in Iraq, but don't ever try to convince me one of the major ones isn't oil," he said.

While President Bush plans to veto a war-funding bill passed that would set a deadline to withdraw troops from Iraq, Dodd said the president needs to recognize there has to be compromise. It would be a huge mistake for Congress to just throw up its hands and go along with the president, he said.

A question about the Kyoto Protocol, setting guidelines to reduce global warming, led to criticism about the U.S. walking away from international agreements. "The idea that we're going to go it alone in the world is very dangerous," Dodd said.

By comparison, he said, a conservative President Reagan negotiated with the Soviet Union, while President Nixon sat down with Chinese dictator Mao Tse-Tung.

Questions about health care led to a suggestion to use technology to reduce bureaucracy. He said 34 cents of every dollar spent on health care goes for administrative costs.

"What I'm for is a universal (health) system -- everyone benefits, everyone participates," Dodd said.

Then there's the national debt. Dodd said the Bush administration contributed more to it than the 42 previous presidents combined. With $2.2 trillion of national debt held offshore by Japan and China, he said it's difficult to argue with "your banker" in telling China to do something about trade policies, manufacturing subsidies and manipulating their currency, Dodd said.

Local officials had some questions on the sidelines for Dodd. Nye County School Board President Dennis Keating noted Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons is opposed to full-day kindergarten. International Association of Firefighters local president Tim Murray relayed how his department has seven firefighters on duty to patrol 280 square miles.

Politicians will most likely be getting educated on Pahrump, Nye County and Nevada issues over the next year leading up to the caucus, in some cases just to understand the geographical extent of the area.

"Nye County, I must say, you could put my state of Connecticut in your back pocket," Dodd joked.