Dodd Staking Presidential Run On Iowa

Even Barack Obama sympathizes with the plight of his less-famous presidential rivals.

During a break in last month's CNN debate in Las Vegas, Obama -- standing to the immediate right of Chris Dodd all night -- offered the Connecticut senator some encouragement after noticing his lack of air time.

"He told me, 'You ought to jump in and interrupt more often -- you have a lot to say,'" Dodd recalled during a recent house party in Waterloo. "And I said, 'Is that an endorsement, Barack?'"

Like so many other lesser-known presidential hopefuls, Dodd has staked his candidacy on Iowa. But unlike Republican Mike Huckabee or Democrats Bill Richardson and Joe Biden, Dodd has so far gained little traction in the state.

Dodd regularly polls at about 1 percent, and the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll showed him trailing Dennis Kucinich, who has largely ignored Iowa.

"Chris has really struggled to establish a base, and it's not for a lack of effort," said Dave Nagle, a former U.S. congressman and ex-state Democratic chairman.

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