Dodd Declares

ABC News’ Jake Tapper Reports: Saying he "bring(s) the luxury of being a fresh face to an awful lot of people," Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., this morning on the syndicated "Imus in the Morning" radio show declared his intention to file the necessary paperwork today to establish a presidential campaign committee.

Dodd said it was time to "get out of the bleachers and onto the arena floor….I know how to do this. I know what has to be done. I’m going to get out and make my case."

In an interview published this morning in his home state’s Hartford Courant, Dodd said  "there’s an obvious sense of urgency people feel today, a sense of unease, and it’s not just about Iraq. There’s a desperate cry for leadership, and I’m fundamentally optimistic. We’re not beyond the point where things can’t be done to make the country better. But you have to know how to lead and have the capacity to bring people together. This is our time. All of us have a responsibility to get this right."

Dodd will travel to Iowa tonight, will appear on NBC’s "Meet the Press" Sunday and then will travel to South Carolina for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He will hold a rally in the Nutmeg state a week from Friday.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will serve as state chairman of Dodd’s campaign and former Dodd chief of staff Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-CT, will be a national co-chair. Dodd has about $5 million in his campaign coffers.