Chris Dodd Posts On My Left Nutmeg

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), who is also running for the Democratic presidential nomination, is at My Left Nutmeg today with a post about his bill to increase funding to bring the Army National Guard back up to snuff on all the vehicles and equipment they have lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here's Senator Dodd:

This highlights the perpetual issue of our troops being deployed without being adequately prepared and protected for combat. Second, when National Guard troops do come home, they are finding their stock of equipment cleaned out. So we are faced with a frightening series of questions—what will happen when the next natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina strikes? Who will help restore order? Who will provide critical emergency response services? And what equipment will they use?

I’ve always felt that it is our duty to ensure that our troops have the equipment and support they need to successfully carry out their missions. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Congress has had to intervene to support our troops when the Bush Administration came up short. In fact, since the very beginning of the war in Iraq, I have fought to provide critical equipment for our troops over the White House’s objections. In 2003, I offered legislation to address a $322 million shortfall in critical military equipment identified by the Army. But the Administration opposed my amendment and it failed along party lines.

Please go to My Left Nutmeg to read the rest.