OTTUMWA — Sen. Chris Dodd hosted area firefighters for breakfast on Monday, part of the partnership between Dodd’s candidacy for president and the firefighter union’s endorsement.

The endorsement is a key part of the Dodd campaign’s outreach to union members across Iowa. Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said Dodd’s record made the endorsement a natural fit.

“We only measure our decision on a career of service. Don’t tell me what you’re going to do … We’re not nearly as interested in what you’re going to do as in what you’ve done,” he said. “When we measured that simple, straightforward principle against the candidates … there was one candidate who didn’t earn our support, but one candidate who was entitled to our support.”

Dodd cautioned the audience against assuming a Democrat will win the White House next year. He said there’s far too much campaigning left before the nominations are settled, let alone the general election.

The Dodd campaign is focusing on constitutional issues this week, according to campaign officials. Dodd struck that theme early, saying the next president must work to reverse the current administration’s trend toward ignoring constitutional guarantees in the name of security.

Dodd said his track record shows that he will reinforce the Constitution and is ready to become president. Newcomers to elected office don’t have the background to be able to do the job beginning Jan. 20, 2009. He sees stopping short of that as too great a risk.

“You wouldn’t have a dentist extract a tooth who had never done it before. You wouldn’t have someone remodel a kitchen without asking if they had ever done it before,” he said.

Dodd also pointed to his track record as an example of how to reach across party lines and get things done. He named Republican senators as key partners in forming the children’s caucus in the Senate and writing the Family Medical Leave Act.

Like many of the candidates, Dodd is banking on Iowa voters’ habit of waiting until the last minute to decide on a candidate and ignoring polls. Dodd trails significantly in surveys of likely caucus-goers.

The IAFF has experience in campaigning for a trailing candidate. The union backed Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 caucuses at a time when Kerry’s campaign appeared to be in trouble. Their support helped keep Kerry in the race, where he eventually won in Iowa and took the Democratic nomination.

Dodd hopes the union can help him make another surprise stretch run. He said Iowa is the only place where that kind of move is possible. The campaigns are fought in the media after Iowa, not before the voters themselves.

“You never get to do what you’re doing right now. You’re not just listening to what I’m saying. You’re listening to how much passion I have. It’s something you could never get from a 30-second TV ad or a newspaper ad,” he said.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com