Kerry and Allard Scrap on the Senate Floor

[kerrygoddess]

Kerry and Allard Scrap on the Senate Floor — The Veteran vs. the Veterinarian: Who Do You Trust?
April 6th, 2006 @ 5:34 pm

Wayne Allard staged a deplorable, vile attack on John Kerry today on the Senate Floor. It was a cowardly act, as Kerry was in a committee meeting at the time of the attack. He returned to the Senate floor to rebuke Allard’s attack after his committee and issued a scathing rebuttal (to be posted soon).

Just who does Wayne Allard think he is? I don’t know a lot of people who will stand for a veterinarian questioning a veterans’ patriotism.

While Kerry was in committee, Wayne Allard said:

“I would like to start off by saying I’ve been very supportive of the president on the war of Iraq because he has had a plan and he has stayed the course. That’s what gives me confidence in the president.

I do think that what we see today in the criticism of the president from Senator Kerry, we’re seeing an individual who’s being spun in the political winds, unlike the president. When he calls the strategy of today counter productive and that we fought to pull out our forces immediately out of Iraq is a catastrophic suggestion. And it’s not anything that we should consider very seriously. you know, it wasn’t that far—long ago when Senator Kerry was saying that it would be a disaster and a disgraceful betrayal of principle to speed up the process to simply lay the groundwork for political expedient withdrawal of American troops.”

Wayne Allard’s attack on John Kerry’s Iraq plan today were absolutely despicable. It reeked of another instance of Swift Boat’ism — John Kerry is a decorated Vietnam veteran who fought in a war gone bad just as Iraq has. Kerry has proven over and over again that he has the courage to speak the truth to power, about what he sees in Iraq – just as Jack Murtha has.

For Wayne Allard, a veterinarian, to stand up and attack a Vietnam veteran for speaking out for American troops the way John Kerry did is unacceptable and quite frankly in my book, “counter productive” and a “disgraceful betrayal” of our “American troops” and our Veterans.

MORE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2547

Text of Kerry's rebutal coming soon!

[TayTay]

1. Allard, the Drive-By Pirate shooter

KG, this motherfucker Allard can bite me. What a piece of shit.

Tell me you know of a video of this?

[kerrygoddess]

3. I wish there was one

I missed the damn thing but thankfully they got a transcript done - all unscripted and brilliant f'ing bitch slap from JK!

What an SOB - he can bite me too!

[kerrygoddess]

11. Got a gift for you

There's a video link at the bottom of the speech text - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2552

[TayTay]

12. I love YA!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[whometense]

13. Oh, THANK YOU!!

I was so disappointed I'd missed this. :-)

[Island Blue]

2. Can't wait to read the entire rebutal.

This should be good! :)

[kerrygoddess]

4. Kerry Responds to Senator Allard’s Iraq Attacks with a Stunning Rebuke

John Kerry Responds to Senator Allard’s Iraq Attacks with a Stunning Rebuke
April 6th, 2006 @ 6:02 pm

As I posted a short time ago, Senator Wayne Allard “staged a deplorable, vile attack on John Kerry today on the Senate Floor.” It was a cowardly act, coming on the heels of John Kerry offering a new direction on Iraq that keeps faith with American troops and gives the Iraqis their best chance at democracy. Allard launched his attack on Senator Kerry and defended the Bush Administration’s aimless course in Iraq. John Kerry returned to the floor to defend himself and his Iraq plan with a scathing rebuke to Allard.

The Kerry plan, laid out today, sets two important deadlines for the Iraqis to form a unity government and redeploy American combat forces. Below is Sen. Kerry’s response to the Allard attacks:

Mr. President, a little while ago I was fought here. I was at a hearing of the finance committee. I am informed that the Senator from Colorado, Senator Allard, came to the floor to attack my position on Iraq, which is fine by me, but also I think somewhat questionably with respect to the rules and the etiquette of the Senate to attack me personally for my motives with respect to the position I have taken. And the Senator from Colorado suggested that — quote — “we’re seeing an individual who is being spun in the political winds.”

Well, let me make it clear to the Senator from Colorado and anybody who wants to debate Iraq, when it comes to issues of war and peace and of young Americans dying, nobody spins me period. And I’m not going to listen to the Senator from Colorado or anyone else questions my motives when young Americans are dying on a daily basis or losing their limbs because Iraqi politicians won’t form a government from an election that they held in December. That is just inexcusable; let me ask the Senator from Colorado, it is okay by him that young Americans are dying right now while politicians in Baghdad are frittering away the time and the opportunity that our soldiers fought to give them? Does he think that’s a plan that’s working? Does he think that’s serving the needs of the American military?

A year and a half ago, two years ago I suggested, as did many other people, that it would be inappropriate to set a timetable for American troops to withdraw because we hadn’t had election and because most people assumed what we were fighting then was al Qaeda and foreign terrorists. The fact is since then we’ve trained forces, we’ve trained police. We listen to this administration consistently come and tell us how great the training is, how many people are up and trained, how much they’ve been able to make progress, how 70% of the country is indeed peaceful. Well, if that’s true, then there shouldn’t be a great threat to reducing American forces on a schedule that is also tied to our ability to resolve the other issues with respect to Iraq. I’d ask the Senator from Colorado, let’s have a real debate about this issue. Does he ignore what our own generals tell us?

MORE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=2552

[kerrygoddess]

5. Anyone got a diary available on Kos?

I used mine today... on the earlier speech and coverage from the news and blogs.

[CBHagman]

6. I missed this entirely.

Thanks for the update!

Frankly, I already had a perfectly rotten opinion of Allard, and this confirms it. What is it in a certain breed of Republicans (George Allen, Saxby Chambliss et al) who combine shamelessness with cowardice?

[fedupinBushcountry]

7. Allard

Dun barked up the wrong tree, Kerry put his sleazy arse where it belongs in the gutter.

[kerrygoddess]

8. Email Allard

Allard’s senate page: http://allard.senate.gov/public/

And bypass the old contact form using this:
[e-mail]

[rockymountaindem]

9. Sorry 'bout Allard, everybody

We elected him before we started coming out of the Republican haze. If he decides to run again in '08, Mark Udall from the Peoples' Republic of Boulder (CO-2) will give him a run for his money.

[TayTay]

10. Oh, it's not your fault.

Like the great Commonwealth of Virgian that presently suffers under that retard Allen, Colorado is currently being held hostage to the whims of that chickenhawk Allard.

Colorado will wake up and replace him with someone good. I trust the good people there. (And I know there are a lot of Rethugs there. But I also know there are a lot of good, wise and sensible people there as well. I trust them as Americans to do the right thing.)