At his press conference just now, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) made it clear that despite his early-stage cancer diagnosis, he will still be running for re-election in 2010.

"I'm running for re-election. Now I'll be a little meaner and a little meaner, but I'm running," said Dodd.

He explained that he'll be a bit lighter, too: "I'll be running without a prostate."

Dodd also said that he's known for weeks about his diagnosis, and was working out a course of treatment, and did not go public because he did not want to make himself an exhibit in the health care debate that he was working on. "It's not about me," said Dodd. "It's about people who are without health care."

That may have been Dodd's intention. But the fact is, now that he has gone public, he is an exhibit in the debate, and his illness is sure to be brought up in future discussions.

Late Update: In a new Twitter post, Dodd incorporates the political angle to all this: "I'd like to thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I'm going to be fine. We caught this early thanks to my great health insurance."