PLEASE READ THIS
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Fw: Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03 Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 17:05:34 -0500 :
I didn't see this anywhere: a friend, a former student, who is married to a German guy, and lives in Germany, sent this on to me. Did I miss it because I was lax, or wasn't it spoken of in the media?
----- Original Message -----
From: Bernadette Scheerer <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 4:42 PMSubject: Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03
Subject: Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03 Lest you think those of us in Germany aren't paying attention and/or are merely attending to "frivolous things", lest anyone think it's only those pesky "old Europeans" who are raising questions about the current course being charted by "This Administration", I want to bring to your attention Senator Robert Byrd's recent speech on the floor of the Senate in Washington. It's some relief to hear the sentiments I feel here in the distance being expressed in a significant place by a significant figure. I think, after the developments of last week in the UN and the peace marches around the world on the weekend, it's becoming clear that while it may have been possible to "fiddle" things in Florida it's less easy to "fiddle" things in the whole wide world! I find it wonderful to know there are some politicians in Washington with the insight to give this type of speech. Read and reflect....
Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous
Consequences
by US Senator Robert Byrd
Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003
To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as
this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors
of war.
Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no
discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.
We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly
stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much
substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.
And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This
coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning
point in the recent history of the world.
This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary
way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other
nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the
future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of
international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making
many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list.
High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when
discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of
uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of
many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and
U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on
mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid
alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11.
Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where
such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the
duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate
police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim.
The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher.
This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that
that record is dismal.
In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion
over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's
domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential
programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth.
This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This
Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has
been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.
In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard
from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional
alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and
NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United
States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into
threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity
of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come.
Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as
irrelevant -- these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive
military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and
friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our
wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our
homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we
will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters
cheering us on.
The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be
starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace
in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.
Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against
terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in
Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must
always secure the peace?
And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is
rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of
that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after
Saddam Hussein?
Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its
own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals,
bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?
Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose
language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global
race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which
need the income?
In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which
may reap disastrous consequences for years.
One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11.
One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy
on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.
But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign
policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with
the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet.
Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other
word.
Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and
destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq -- a population, I might add, of which over 50% is
under age 15 -- this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our
own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On
the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is
business as usual in the United States Senate.
We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its
good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings.
To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I
truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack
on a nation which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country". This war is not
necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put
ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own
making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.
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