Sen. Robert Byrd: 'Today I Weep for My Country'

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Sen. Robert Byrd: 'Today I Weep for My Country'
Wednesday, March 19, 2003; 9:57 PM
By Thomas Ferraro - Washington Post

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The oldest voice in the U.S. Congress rose on
Wednesday to offer a final pre-war warning that President Bush's march to battle is dangerously misguided.

"Today I weep for my country," said West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd. "No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. ... Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.

"We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance," Byrd said, adding: "After war has ended the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe."

Byrd, a leading foe on Capitol Hill of war with Iraq, spoke in a nearly empty Senate chamber about four hours before Bush's 8 p.m. EST
deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq or face a U.S.-led invasion.

"May God continue to bless the United States of America in the
troubled days ahead, and may we somehow recapture the vision which
for the present eludes us," Byrd said.

As the white-haired senator concluded his remarks, a number of people
in the visitor's gallery rose and applauded before they were admonished to be quiet.

At 85, Byrd is now the oldest member of Congress as well as the longest serving. He was first elected to the Senate in 1958, after six years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Byrd was among those who voted last year against the congressional
resolution that authorized Bush to use force in his showdown with Saddam, and the senator has given frequent floor speeches since then
warning against war.

Polls on Wednesday showed strong American support for a war but
widespread opposition to it overseas.

"The case this administration tries to make to justify its fixation with war is tainted by charges of falsified documents and circumstantial evidence," Byrd said.

Despite administration suggestions to the contrary, Byrd said, "There is no credible information to connect Saddam Hussein to 9/11."

The senator said, "We cannot convince the world of the necessity of this war for one simple reason. This is a war of choice."

Byrd said that instead of negotiating, Washington demanded obedience or threatened recrimination. "Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves."

He said many questions about the looming war were unanswered --
including how long it would last, what it would cost, what its ultimate mission was.

"A pall has fallen over the Senate chamber," Byrd said. "We avoid our
solemn duty to debate the one topic on the minds of all Americans, even while scores of thousands of our sons and daughters faithfully do their duty in Iraq."

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Byrd is a disgrace!
What a disgrace that former member of the KKK, Senator Robert Byrd, should attack the United States of America and the President while our troops are in harms way fighting for the freedom of not only this country, but of the world.

Congress approved this action last October, Iraq is violating various UN resolutions, including 1441, passed unanimoulsy last November by the Security Council. The facts are clear, even Blix admitted Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction - Iraq has not disramed as required, yet Senator Byrd once again shows his true colors, last year he used the "N" word on national TV, this year he attacks America as our troops fight in a distant land.

Where is the Democrat outrage? When will this racist old fool resign?

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Hurrah for Senator Byrd. I've never been a fan of his, but he has shown he has the guts to speak out when it is necessary -- and the guts to withstand the silly tirades of "patriots" who question his loyalty for doing so.

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Frank, what you call guts...
Frank,

What you call guts, is actually aiding and facilitating the enemy. It use to be that petty partisan politics (or worse) ended at the water's edge...obviously you, Sen Byrd, Sen Daschle, dont realize what even Senators Clinton, Bahy, Lieberman, do know, you dont attack America while the troops are in the field.

If that makes the rest of us Patriots, so be it, ill wear taht title with pride!

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Jim

Just what the hell make you suppose that criticising George Bush and his deplorable skills is equal to "attacking America?"

Just what makes you suppose that deploring the kind of damage this moron Bush is doing to our country is equal to "attacking America?"

Thinking that kind of nonsense doesn't make a person a "patriot" in my opinion -- it makes that person a jerk.

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Re: Frank, what you call guts...

jimnass wrote:

Frank,

What you call guts, is actually aiding and facilitating the enemy. It use to be that petty partisan politics (or worse) ended at the water's edge...obviously you, Sen Byrd, Sen Daschle, dont realize what even Senators Clinton, Bahy, Lieberman, do know, you dont attack America while the troops are in the field.

If that makes the rest of us Patriots, so be it, ill wear taht title with pride!

well, i see that half your name is right.

what the hell is wrong with you? have you no ability to discern the difference between the puppets and the puppeteers? nowhere has byrd, daschle or any other opponent of this warfare spoken out against the soldiers. they have spoken about the crisis in competence in the leadership whose ineptitude forced these brave men and women into harm's way. your demand that reality reflect your own idea that vigorous dissent of government policy is aiding our enemies is about as anti-american a thing as i could ever see. following your logic, even someone running for president who disagreed with bush is a traitor.

right now i have a brother in the air force in the mid east, and if i want to call bush and his policies failures i damn well doubt it undermines my brother. in fact, he feels the same way and considers bush responsible for this crap.

clearly you are young or uninformed when it comes to criticism by senate leaders about presidential policies, viz., that in 1998 the republican leader of the senate trett lott, another of your racists, said that he did not agree with clinton sending the US army into bosnia, and coined the phrase " i support the troops, but not the president."

so does daschle, so does byrd, so do i.

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Kuvasc

Way to go!

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Re: Frank, what you call guts...

jimnass wrote:

If that makes the rest of us Patriots, so be it, ill wear taht title with pride!

There are those who are always ready to cloak themselves in the flag and call themselves patriots--and denounce those they disagree with as traitors. Easy to do when one is sitting comfortably in front of a computer...

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Well said!
Kuvasc and D'artagnan, so well said - I agree. Americans who deny other Americans the right of free speech to agree or to disagree are the most unAmerican people to be found.

BBB

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Right on, people.

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Frank,

You name calling is a typical liberal response - it must make you feel you have something important to say, when it only proves you have nothing to say, that you have no response at all, so you must name call.

Thanks for proving this point yet again!

Byrd's words are directed against America, while its troops are on the field of battle. Why not go back and re-read them?

Sen Byrd must have reconsidered, or maybe he again proved he is a hypocrite, as he voted, along with every other Senator, for a resolution which stated, in part that it: "commends and supports the efforts and leadership of the president, as commander-in-chief"

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Guts?

Did you say guts?

Then lets give a real big hand to our American, British and Australian soldiers, who are now in harms way, while we sit at our computers and meditate.

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bumblebeeboogie, etc,

i have not seen anyone, including me, attempting to deny Americans their right of free speech, the point i am making is that Sen Byrd and others, should not attack America, as he has, while troops are in the field!

The debate is over, Congress and the American people have spoken, now it's time to support America, the President and the troops - as sen Byrd now seems to understand, seeing that he voted, along with a unanimous Senate to "commends and supports the efforts and leadership of the president, as commander-in-chief"

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jimnass wrote:

Frank,

You name calling is a typical liberal response - it must make you feel you have something important to say, when it only proves you have nothing to say, that you have no response at all, so you must name call.

Byrd's words are directed against America, while its troops are on the field of battle. Why not go back and re-read them?

Sen Byrd must have reconsidered, or maybe he again proved he is a hypocrite, as he voted, along with every other Senator, for a resolution which stated, in part that it: "commends and supports the efforts and leadership of the president, as commander-in-chief"

COMMENTS:

I used the word "jerk" once -- which might qualify as name-calling. You have used all sorts of name-calling in your posts -- so you really shouldn't have too much to say on that account.

I am not a liberal -- so considering it "typical liberal" is just another form of name-calling. Tough habit to break, isn't it Jim.

Sen. Byrd did not direct his comments at American. Learn to read before you rave, not after.

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At least Byrd's lacrimal glands are working today!

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Frank,

Perhaps before you attempt to re-read former KKK member Sen Byrd's remarks, you should re-read yours!

Using the terms "deplorable" and "moron", in addition to "jerk" - don't you consider that name calling?

I said your response was a typical liberal response, as that is what liberals do regularly, rather than discuss issues, they attack people, part of bill Clinton's "politics of perssonal destruction" i guess!

Why not put aside your rage and hate and look at the issue with a clear mind - why are you so outraged to have to say: "Just what the hell..."

Also, why do you suppose you feel that calling someone a "liberal" is name calling, unless....... LOL

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Oh, Jimmy, I am so sorry I used the word "hell" in your presence. It must have been terrible to have to deal with it. It must have been almost unbearable for you to think of the "rage" and "hate" that went into such a deplorable breech in etiquette.

Ooops, I used that word "deplorable" again.

Senator Byrd DID NOT ATTACK AMERICA in his remarks.

Let's try that again: SENATOR BYRD DID NOT ATTACK AMERICA in his remarks.

If you took your head out of wherever you've got it tucked, you would see that I am not trying to be rude (oh, maybe a bit) -- I am telling you that your take on the Byrd remarks -- while admittedly perfectly within your rights to have -- are absurd.

Frankly, it is more patriotic -- and more ethical -- to voice dissent when you really feel it than to pretend endorsement when it is phony.

But I suspect that you won't be able to understand that.

As for your final remark: "Also, why do you suppose you feel that calling someone a "liberal" is name calling, unless....... LOL"

COMMENT:

Well, as an Iconoclast, I do consider calling me a liberal to be an insult. Not nearly as big an insult as calling me a conservative, which also has happened.

Liberal are fuzzy at their edges. I sometimes laugh at the foibles of the far left. Conservatives at the edges are not something to laugh at. They disgust me.

Thanks for raising the issue. It was a pleasure to comment on it.

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Frank,

Before we get to your re-reading of Senator Byrd's remarks, did you re-read yours? You didnt respond about your name calling?

But i am glad you arent in a rage , so many liberals are these days! but then again, you arent a liberal, ok, sorry for thinking you were!

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rapier and knitting needle duel

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Byrd may be weeping, but the Iraquis are happy at their liberation!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/21/international/worldspecial/21CND-MILI.html

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Sen. Robert Byrd: 'Today I Weep for My Country'

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