morgana
06-20-2003, 05:04 AM
<font color="lime">i have been doing some research lately on my local government officials. i'm really impressed with senator byrd's statements over the past few months regarding the war and the current state of affairs in our country. he is very well spoken, fairly addresses all sides of the arguments, and is brave enough to say it as honestly as possible. here are just some of the things i've read recently that have shown me why this man has been re-elected so many times:
on the subject of the presidential address given from the USS Lincoln:
"President Bush's address to the American people announcing combat victory in Iraq deserved to be marked with solemnity, not extravagance; with gratitude to God, not self-congratulatory gestures. American blood has been shed on foreign soil in defense of the President's policies. This is not some made-for-TV backdrop for a campaign commercial. This is real life, and real lives have been lost. To me, it is an affront to the Americans killed or injured in Iraq for the President to exploit the trappings of war for the momentary spectacle of a speech. I do not begrudge his salute to America's warriors aboard the carrier Lincoln, for they have performed bravely and skillfully, as have their countrymen still in Iraq, but I do question the motives of a deskbound President who assumes the garb of a warrior for the purposes of a speech.
full speech: http://gaytoday.com/world/050803wo.asp
"This administration, all of a sudden, wants to go to war with Iraq. The polls are dropping, the domestic situation has problems. So all of a sudden we have this war talk, war fervor, the bugles of war, drums of war, clouds of war. Don’t tell me that things suddenly went wrong. Back in August, the president had no plans. Then all of a sudden this country is going to war. Are politicians talking about the domestic situation, the stock market, weaknesses in the economy, jobs that are being lost, housing problems? No. Congress will be putting itself on the sidelines. Nothing would please this president more than having such a blank check handed to him. But I am finding that the Constitution is irrelevant to people of this administration. I have not seen such executive arrogance and secrecy since the Nixon administration, and we all know what happened to that group."
"Shrouded in ambiguity and cloaked in deep secrecy, this administration continues to suddenly, and sometimes unexpectedly, drop its decisions upon the public and Congress, and expect obedient approval, without question, without debate and without opposition. As we learned all too well in Korea, Vietnam and Somalia, it is dangerous to present Congress and the American people with a fait accompli on important matters of foreign affairs. As Senator Gruening pointed out, it is the role of the Senate to advise and consent in foreign policy. As the War Powers Resolution points out, it is the role of Congress to be active participants in foreign policy. As the Constitution demands, it is the role of Congress to declare war. When the president is ready to present his case to Congress, I am ready to listen. But I am tired of trying to connect dots in the dark. Selling weapons to a terrorist nation in exchange for hostages, and using that money to finance an illegal war in Central America. What a great plan that was! I guess I can understand why the Reagan administration did not want to tell Congress about that foreign policy adventure."
taken from: http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/pearly/htmls/bush-quotes4.html
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on the subject of the presidential address given from the USS Lincoln:
"President Bush's address to the American people announcing combat victory in Iraq deserved to be marked with solemnity, not extravagance; with gratitude to God, not self-congratulatory gestures. American blood has been shed on foreign soil in defense of the President's policies. This is not some made-for-TV backdrop for a campaign commercial. This is real life, and real lives have been lost. To me, it is an affront to the Americans killed or injured in Iraq for the President to exploit the trappings of war for the momentary spectacle of a speech. I do not begrudge his salute to America's warriors aboard the carrier Lincoln, for they have performed bravely and skillfully, as have their countrymen still in Iraq, but I do question the motives of a deskbound President who assumes the garb of a warrior for the purposes of a speech.
full speech: http://gaytoday.com/world/050803wo.asp
"This administration, all of a sudden, wants to go to war with Iraq. The polls are dropping, the domestic situation has problems. So all of a sudden we have this war talk, war fervor, the bugles of war, drums of war, clouds of war. Don’t tell me that things suddenly went wrong. Back in August, the president had no plans. Then all of a sudden this country is going to war. Are politicians talking about the domestic situation, the stock market, weaknesses in the economy, jobs that are being lost, housing problems? No. Congress will be putting itself on the sidelines. Nothing would please this president more than having such a blank check handed to him. But I am finding that the Constitution is irrelevant to people of this administration. I have not seen such executive arrogance and secrecy since the Nixon administration, and we all know what happened to that group."
"Shrouded in ambiguity and cloaked in deep secrecy, this administration continues to suddenly, and sometimes unexpectedly, drop its decisions upon the public and Congress, and expect obedient approval, without question, without debate and without opposition. As we learned all too well in Korea, Vietnam and Somalia, it is dangerous to present Congress and the American people with a fait accompli on important matters of foreign affairs. As Senator Gruening pointed out, it is the role of the Senate to advise and consent in foreign policy. As the War Powers Resolution points out, it is the role of Congress to be active participants in foreign policy. As the Constitution demands, it is the role of Congress to declare war. When the president is ready to present his case to Congress, I am ready to listen. But I am tired of trying to connect dots in the dark. Selling weapons to a terrorist nation in exchange for hostages, and using that money to finance an illegal war in Central America. What a great plan that was! I guess I can understand why the Reagan administration did not want to tell Congress about that foreign policy adventure."
taken from: http://www.angelfire.com/hi5/pearly/htmls/bush-quotes4.html
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