Last night, Chris Dodd officially dropped out of the presidential race. His closing remarks were heartfelt and sincere. They didn’t get a lot of media play, so here they are:

The most important part of his speech highlighted his ability to change the debate.

By raising ideas no other Presidential candidate has ever proposed, let there be no doubt that this campaign has set the standard.

When we began this race, every Democrat was for ending the war in Iraq - a war that has made us not more secure, but less so.

But it was only when we stood up and said this President wouldn’t get another penny to fight that war that other candidates committed to doing what was necessary to actually end it.

When we began this race, every Democrat—every American—agreed that in America, we should never need a national crisis to bring the country together with national purpose.

But only when we proposed a universal national service plan to create the first generation in history that served our country did the national service debate begin in earnest - to create that renewed sense of community we all want.

And after 7 years of insecurity and watching this President have to go into hiding when he traveled abroad, we were all for stopping this President’s assault on the Constitution.

But it was only when I stood up and you stood with me—it was only when tens of thousands of Americans stood together and said we would do whatever it took to stop this President from shredding the rule of law—that we actually did stop him.

And that fight goes on.

Tonight I am withdrawing from the Presidential race. But let me assure you, we do not exit this race with our heads hanging - rather, we do so with our heads held high.

Whether it is restoring the Constitution to the American people, standing up to this President to end this war, or starting the discussion about what it will really take to tackle global warming and bring the country together, we stand confident that the difference we made in this race will endure longer than any speech, any election or any political campaign.

It’s hard sometimes to support a candidate without the momentum and media attention of the front runners, but I have no regrets. Chris Dodd did change the debate in this race, he changed it to focus on things I believe in: The Constitution, the rule of law, and the importance of accountability. He showed the nation that Democrats can indeed stand up and fight for something. More importantly, he has vowed to continue to do so.

In his concession email to supporters last night, he said this:

The fight to restore the Constitution and stop retroactive immunity does not end with my Presidential campaign. FISA will come back in a few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity remains operative.

Chris Dodd is the real deal, he will continue the fight, and I will be wholeheartedly supporting his efforts in the Senate in the coming weeks.

Once again, thank you Chris Dodd for standing up for what we all believe in. You and your campaign staff all deserve our highest respect.

WHAT'S NEXT?

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