"AMERICA, IRAQ, AND PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP" (Sen Kennedy)

[pinto]

Speech Delivered by Senator Edward M. Kennedy
To the Center for American Progress
At The Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C.

<snip>

The citizens of our democracy have a fundamental right to debate and even doubt the wisdom of a president's policies. And the citizens of our democracy have a sacred obligation to sound the alarm and shed light on the policies of an Administration that is leading this country to a perilous place.

I believe that this Administration is indeed leading this country to a perilous place. It has broken faith with the American people, aided and abetted by a Congressional majority willing to pursue ideology at any price, even the price of distorting the truth. On issue after issue, they have moved brazenly to impose their agenda on America and on the world. They have pursued their goals at the expense of urgent national and human needs and at the expense of the truth. America deserves better.

The Administration and the majority in Congress have put the state of our union at risk, and they do not deserve another term in the White House or in control of Congress.

http://www.senate.gov/~kennedy/statements/04/01/2004114558.html

[dweller]

1. Go Teddy

more:

"Nowhere is the danger to our country and to our founding ideals more evident than in the
decision to go to war in Iraq. Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has now revealed
what many of us have long suspected. Despite protestations to the contrary, the
President and his senior aides began the march to war in Iraq in the earliest days of the
Administration, long before the terrorists struck this nation on 9/11.

The examination of the public record and of the statements of President Bush and his aides
reveals that the debate about overthrowing Saddam began long before the beginning of
this Administration. Its roots began thirteen years ago, during the first Gulf War, when the
first President Bush decided not to push on to Baghdad and oust Saddam."

this is what people need to hear. It's a sender.

d

[fabius]

2. Awesome Teddy!

Keep after 'em! the lying scoundrels.

[Dover]

3. Here's the archived link

http://www.cspan.org/videoarchives.asp?CatCodePairs=,

Good job Teddy. Hope all this is leading up to impeachment or worse.

[Dover]

4. \\\\

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[Martin Eden]

5. Teddy speaks truth to power

more good snips:

We all care deeply about national security. We all care deeply about national defense. We take immense pride in the ability and dedication of the men and women in our armed forces and in the Reserves and the National Guard. The President should never have sent them in harm's way in Iraq for ideological reasons and on a timetable based on the marketing of a political product.

We know the high price we have also had to pay-in our credibility with the international community-in the loss of life-in the individual tragedies of loved ones left behind in communities here at home-in the billions of dollars that should have been spent on jobs and housing and health care and education and civil rights and the environment and a dozen other clear priorities, and should not have been spent on a misguided war in Iraq.

The Administration is breathtakingly arrogant. Its leaders are convinced they know what is in America's interest, but they refuse to debate it honestly. After repeatedly linking Saddam Hussein to Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden in his justification for war, the President now admits there was no such link. Paul Wolfowitz admitted in an interview that the Administration settled for "bureaucratic reasons" on weapons of mass destruction because it was "the one reason everyone could agree on."

The Administration is vindictive and mean-spirited. When Ambassador Joseph Wilson publicly challenged the Administration for wrongly claiming that Iraq had purchased uranium from Niger for its nuclear weapons program, the Administration retaliated against his wife, potentially endangering her life and her career.

[Snappy]

6. All Dems

It would be nice if all Dems developed a backbone and stood up to the Neo Fascists. Until recently most Dems allowed the Neo Fascists to do anything they wanted to do. First order of business: Kick out all the Dems that support the Neo Fascists. Start impeachment hearing on GW and Cheney. That seems to be the only way that we are going to get any truth of what they have been doing behiind our backs.

Tyranny only thrives when people do not struggle against it and speak out.The Constitution although it is being shredded says the we the American people have a right to overthrow the Govt. if the Govt. has become a Tyranny. Seems to me that it has.

[bloom]

7. I wish that all prominent Democrats

Would send a more unified message that the Iraq WarII was a bad idea. and has been bad for our country.

You see Dems on talk shows and when they are asked "Isn't having Saddam captured a good thing?". And they say yes - and George Bush* is validated. The interviewer got the answer he wanted.

It's like the ends justify the means and the US can lose all the respect in the World, US corporations can steal the oil - but it's OK because Saddam was captured and Americans feel safe.

It's a bunch of crap. Period.