A Democratic president who feels "a righteous wind" at his back has at least six more Democratic senators and realized a net gain of 22 seats in the House of Representatives ought to make this the age of influence for 28-year Senate veteran Christopher Dodd. But the fates divide our fortune, and not always equally.
As the Democrats moved toward victory at the end of October, a story by NBC's Lisa Myers set Dodd apart from his triumphant fellow Democrats. Myers reported that federal agents are investigating the notorious "Friends of Angelo" list maintained by subprime mortgage giant Countrywide Financial's co-founder Angelo Mozilo. Dodd was the most prominent member of that exclusive club.
Since the Dodd story broke in June, the five-term senator has offered contradictory fragments of explanations and intentions. Scheherazade after a six-pack of Red Bull would not have told more desperate tales. Dodd gallops the gamut from calling the allegations of special treatment "outrageous" to pledging repeatedly and specifically to release documents related to the $800,000 in sweetheart deals he got from Countrywide. |