WASHINGTON — The day a local newspaper reported that Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut was thinking of running for president, he had an awkward encounter in the basement of the Capitol with another Democrat, a friend from Massachusetts he might have to battle for the job: Sen. John F. Kerry.
But Kerry, who was the Democrats' 2004 nominee and is pondering another presidential bid, was a good sport and welcomed his colleague into a growing fraternity. "The more the merrier!" Kerry said.
That's what it's like these days in the Senate. There are so many lawmakers considering a run for president that they are practically tripping over each other. The outbreak of ambition adds an "every man for himself" dynamic to an institution that is already struggling to build consensus on important issues such as how to combat illegal immigration and high gas prices.
Presidential ambitions: A graphic accompanying an article in Sunday's Section A about 11 senators considering a White House bid said Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) planned to leave the chamber after 2008. He will leave after 2006.
Presidential candidates: An article June 18 in Section A and an accompanying graphic on lawmakers considering a run for president said Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) had called for the censure of President Bush for approving a domestic wiretapping program. Feingold called for the censure because he said the wiretapping was illegal without a warrant.
The Senate has always been an incubator for presidential aspirations, but the bug is now especially widespread. No fewer than eleven senators have announced they are considering a presidential bid.
The stampede shows how much both political parties are in a state of transition. Because neither party has an uncontested heir apparent for the 2008 election, there is little to discourage senators who, as a group, have famously high opinions of themselves.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) jokes that he is one of the "designated drivers" of the Senate because he is not running for president.
"We are driving the Senate while so many of our colleagues are intoxicated with the idea of being president," Durbin said.
The wave of ambition is taking a toll. Critics say the political self-interest of would-be candidates sometimes conflicts with the broader interests of their party and the Senate as a whole.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has come under particularly pointed criticism from colleagues who say he is using the Senate to advance his presidential prospects.
He is accused of trying to curry favor with conservative activists he would need if he runs for president by stacking the agenda with right-wing priorities that have no chance of becoming law, such as a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, which was rejected, and another to outlaw flag burning, which is scheduled for a vote this month.
"He's just checking off the boxes," Durbin said.
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