Dodd weighs in on
same-sex marriage in N.H.

Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd told Concord High School students Wednesday that people debating same-sex marriage should ask themselves just one question: What would you do if your child were gay?

Dodd said anyone who would deny a gay child the right to be happy isn't being honest. "We ought to be able to have these loving relationships," the Connecticut senator said.

Dodd, the father of a 2- and a 5-year-old, said his daughters could grow up to be lesbians and he hopes they would have the opportunity to enjoy marriage-like rights.

"They may grow up as a different sexual orientation than their parents," Dodd said. "How would I want my child to be treated if they were of a different sexual orientation?"

Dodd, who opposed a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to man-woman unions, said he supports civil unions but not same-sex marriage. Asked afterward what he sees as the difference, he said, "I don't think probably much in people's minds. If you're allowing that, all the protections you have there, you've covered it."

As Dodd spoke, the New Hampshire house of representatives was debating a civil unions bill a mile away at the statehouse. The bill passed easily, moving on to the senate.

Dodd began two days of campaigning Tuesday in Laconia, where he spoke about his opposition to the war in Iraq, his criticism of "No Child Left Behind," and his call for greater international engagement.

Other Democrats have similar positions, but Dodd, a senator since 1980, points out he's been saying much of it since before they were elected for the first time.

He also emphasized his experience as a Peace Corps volunteer, saying the United States should talk with hostile countries.

"I'm not going to offer an internship or a job to President Assad," he said of Syria's president. Dodd visited that country over the Bush administration's objections last year. He said the United States should embrace a more mature view of foreign affairs.

"Here we are, acting like a petulant child," he said. (Philip Elliott, AP)