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Just in case you all didn't get to read this. What a great Speech, and a
great Senator.
PS - please send Senator Gautreaux a note of thanks to
lasen21@legis.state.la.us and thank him for his work. You can also BLOG on
this at our website at www.LafayetteDemocrats.org
____________________________________________________
Senator Butch Gautreaux:
I want to take a few minutes as we wrap up this short and successful session
to thank you for the way you worked together.
We got a lot done in two and half weeks. We got a lot done for Louisiana and
for our future because we worked together. We may have differed on how best
to get the job done but every one of us was focused on what's best for
Louisiana.
And today we still all have one goal: a successful recovery for Louisiana.
I wish I could offer this kind of praise for the leadership in Washington.
I can't . and that worries me. The future of this state depends on funding
from the Congress and President Bush. Like it or not, its true.
I worry that Louisiana's needs will be lost in the debate over the botched
war in Iraq.
I worry that our needs will be lost as the Bush Administration makes sure
that the very richest Americans get a tax cut. They just rammed a bill
through the US House of Representatives to cut programs for the poor and
middle class to fund those tax cuts. They cut into vital services like
Medicaid, food stamps and student loans . all to give millions more to
millionaires.
They're playing Robin Hood .but in reverse.
I wonder HOW they will meet Louisiana's needs . IF they will meet our needs.
The Bush administration took the budget surpluses it inherited and
transformed them into massive deficits . deficits with no end in sight .
deficits that our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren will be paying
off long after we are gone.
I worry for Louisiana.
Bush administration policies continue to benefit big business at the expense
of working Americans. This administration values profits above all else:
above the health and safety of workers, damage to our environment, the
exporting of American jobs, and the future of our economy.
I worry for Louisiana.
This administration and their radical allies have succeeded in using faith
and religion to divide and polarize this nation. They've done a skillful job
of melding God and partisan politics. As a Christian, an American and as a
veteran, I abhor this perversion both of Christ's ministry on Earth . and .
of our Founding Fathers work creating this nation.
I did not step to this podium on a whim.
I stepped up here today because I care for this state . I love this nation .
and I'm concerned about the future for every family in Louisiana and
America.
Well, not every family. I know the Bush family won't be missing any meals.
They aren't still waiting for FEMA to assess their storm-damaged home or
business. They don't worry about paying the mortgage or covering medical
bills. They won't face layoffs. They'll be fine . and so will their friends
in the highest income brackets.
It's the rest of us that have my attention: our children and our
grandchildren...and the victims of Rita and Katrina.
Most of you know me well.
You know that I aim to be diplomatic - even reserved -- in my relationships
with you . and in my comments in this chamber. You know my record: a solid
Southern Democrat . conservative with state finances and dedicated to the
rights of ALL people.
You know that I respect this institution... just as I respect the Office of
the President of the United States.
You will remember that when Mr. Bush first ran for that office that he
pledged to bring dignity and integrity to the office.
He has clearly failed.
We've watched the CIA leak scandal unfold over the last months and weeks.
Yes, no one has been convicted of any crime -- yet. But, from the facts and
from the public record, it's clear that White House leaders revealed the
identity of an undercover CIA agent. They violated national security and
jeopardized the life and career of an agent merely for revenge.
The husband of that agent questioned the Bush administration's reasons for
invading Iraq. The White House responded they way they always respond: with
a vicious attack. That's the pattern. Anyone who crosses them faces similar
treatment.
Look what happened last week to the decorated veteran, a US Congressman, who
dared question Bush's war in Iraq. They called him a coward and a traitor.
Look what happened after Katrina when the White House realized how poorly
FEMA performed. They heard the criticism and they attacked. They came after
this state and they came after our governor.
They attacked Louisiana. They attacked our National Guard. They attacked our
governor. They attacked with lies. They said we never evacuated New Orleans.
They said Gov. Blanco never declared a state of emergency. They said we
never mobilized the National Guard. They said we couldn't rescue our own
people.
They attacked with a web of lies that still entangles Louisiana - ALL of
Louisiana - a web of lies that hampers our recovery to this day.
Now . I wonder what they are going to do with me.
We've seen those attacks waged against anyone who questioned the claim of
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
We've seen this administration lead us into a bloody war . a war with no
foreseeable end . on the basis of intelligence that is questionable - at
best. The more we learn, the more we know that the Bush administration
manufactured the pretext for war. They manufactured a link between Sadam and
9/11 and they manufactured the threat from WMDs.
They manufactured this war based on the dream of a quick and easy victory .
a dream that has turned into a nightmare for the families of the 2,000
American dead . a nightmare for the countless maimed and wounded . a
nightmare for the untold thousands of dead Iraqi civilians.
I would like to ask the President if he still believes in "Mission
Accomplished."
I know I risk being called un-American and having people say I don't support
our troops. But, I will risk those attacks because I stand here to speak
the truth.
The truth is, President Bush has let this nation down. I worry that he will
let this state down.
We've been working hard down here in Louisiana every since that first
hurricane hit. We worked hard in so many ways: to rescue victims, clean up
our neighborhoods, reopen our businesses . and this Legislature worked hard
the last two and half weeks to keep the recovery going.
We succeeded this session because we worked together.
I came to praise this body and our Legislature . to hold us up as an example
of cooperation for others to see.
I will be praying that others will see how the people of Louisiana are
helping themselves and working together for a brighter future.
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