Senator Russ Feingold has upped the ante for the 2008 Presidential Sweepstakes by announcing that his Leadership PAC, Progressive Patriots Fund, will be creating a 15-member “Patriot Corps” to staff elections in Wisconsin and around the country to help Democrats win crucial offices.

Although the Feingold field program will help Democrats immediately in 2006, Feingold is certainly staffing up with an eye on 2008. It is certainly a wise move for the Feingold camp. The more progressives Feingold can elect in 2006, the more chits he will have to call in for a potential presidential bid in 2008. A field campaign also lets party establishment-types know that Feingold is serious about building the Democratic Party and not merely a candidate of the left-wing blogosphere.

Russ Feingold’s strong positions in favor of troop withdrawal, censure of George W. Bush and against the Patriot Act stand out among what could be a crowded Democratic field in 2008. DoubleSpeak will be keeping an eye on Feingold’s moves as 2008 approaches.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) is off and running in his quest to win the Democratic nomination in 2008. According to the Hartford Courant, Dodd raised $1 million dollars this week in his first major push for presidential bucks ($$).

Dodd’s greatest need is to come up with a campaign kitty that will be considered viable. In the insular world of early presidential politics, activists look to the money figures as evidence of credibility and support.

Dodd had about $2 million on hand last month, a number that will clearly grow because of the fundraiser. But he still lags well behind others, notably New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has an estimated $20 million on hand, and 2004 Democratic nominee John F. Kerry, who has about $17 million.

Also considered potentially impressive fundraisers are former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and 2004 vice president nominee John Edwards.

You might be asking yourself, who is Sen. Chris Dodd and why does he think he can be President of these United States?? Read up on him. If he can raise $1 million a week for the next 100 weeks, he’s golden.