One of the most memorable and embarassing moments of Condi's testimony yesterday was Virginia's junior Senator reference to the "sweet nectar of liberty" and Iraq. It turns out that this seems to be one of favorite phrases:
A speech from October of last yearThe elections this fall are the most important since 1980. Elections decided in the midst of war have a profound impact on our lives and nation's future. Ronald Reagan's election changed the dynamic of the Cold War from one of containment and co-existence to the advancement of freedom. As a result, hundreds of millions of people in Central Europe, once behind the Iron Curtain, now taste the
sweet nectar of liberty, have joined NATO, and are true friends and allies.
http://www.vote-smart.org/speech_detail.php?speech_id=69507Sen.Allen's remarks on the Senate floor on Reagan's passingBut President Reagan believed the blessings of liberty must not be bestowed only on a few nations and only to those blessed to be born on free soil; Ronald Reagan, with the strength of his convictions, exported and advanced democracy to continents, countries, and people
yearning to taste the sweet nectar of liberty.
http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/newsdesk/articles/401.shtmlfrom 1998 when awarded the "Jefferson Scholar" awardGovernor Allen noted that there are "those in Washington who question the wisdom of the free citizens and believe an all-knowing federal government is somehow more capable of providing answers than are families and elected public servants in the States." He also pointed to North Korea, China, Iraq, Cuba and other countries where "there are people
who have never truly tasted freedom's sweet nectar. And there are other tyrants and despots and terrorists, such as the cowards who bombed our two embassies, who fear democracy and freedom of religion, and who would snuff out the flame of liberty if they could. But they must not," the former Governor declared.
http://www.alec.org/viewpage.cfm?pgname=3.1aa56