If Dodd Thought His Staged Spectacle Would Make His Troubles Go Away Here At Home, He Was Wrong

Apparently, no one here in Connecticut is buying Chris Dodd's sorry "apology" and half-baked disclosure of his mortgage records. Here are a few comments from his hometown papers.

Hartford Courant: Sen. Dodd Disappoints

Seven months after a magazine article disclosed that Sen. Christopher Dodd was among several high-profile federal officials who got loans on favorable terms from now-failed mortgage giant Countrywide Financial Corp., he has sought to set the record straight. It was a disappointing performance.

Hartford Courant (Kevin Rennie): Why We Can't Just Trust Dodd

Monday's revelation tells us something we are reluctant to conclude about a leader: We cannot believe Christopher Dodd.

During his 35 years of representing Connecitcut in Washington, Dodd created and could draw upon a deep reservoir of goodwill at home. In the past eight months, Dodd has drained it down to a muddy swamp of suspicion. He's mired in muck and he keeps making it worse.

Stamford Advocate: Dodd Only Goes Halfway

If Sen. Dodd's explanations hold up - and there are many indications that they will - there's no reason he couldn't have put an end to these questions last summer. The fact that he did not is why people have continued to ask questions, and why many are convinced that they still don't have all the answers.

If Dodd had done the same half-disclosure six months ago, he probably would have skated on this. Instead, he drew it out and made it such a big deal even the media couldn't cover for him. Maybe the voters in Connecticut are starting to pay attention. Let's hope so.