Kerry: Bill permits torture...WE CANNOT ACCEPT WORD OF THIS ADMINISTRATION

[blm]

Excerpt from Kerry speech today at JHU.

>>>>>

“We’ve got to tell the truth about what’s happening right now – right now – in our country. We must start treating our moral authority as a national treasure that doesn’t limit our power but magnifies our influence. That seems obvious, but this Administration still doesn’t get it. Still. Right now – today — they are trying to rush a bill through Congress that will fundamentally undermine our moral authority, put our troops at greater risk, and make our country less safe.

Let me be clear about something—something that it seems few people are willing to say. This bill permits torture. It gives the President the discretion to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions. No matter how much well-intended United States Senators would like to believe otherwise, it gives an Administration that lobbied for torture just what it wanted.

The only guarantee we have that these provisions really will prohibit torture is the word of the President. But we have seen in Iraq the consequences of simply accepting the word of this Administration. No, we cannot just accept the word of this Administration that they will not engage in torture given that everything they’ve already done and said on this most basic question has already put our troops at greater risk and undermined the very moral authority needed to win the war on terror.”

>>>>>

[LSK]

1. Kerry is speaking now - CSPAN2

[flpoljunkie]

3. No, he's not. The Rethugs would not let him speak.

[LSK]

4. yes, they seemed confused about who has what time

[blm]

5. Something feels strange.

.

[babylonsister]

10. Yes, like they don't want Kerry to speak. nt

[TayTay]

17. The Rethugs are flexing their muscle on numbers

and preventing anyone from speaking outside of the time limits allocated. Kerry was supposed to get time off of the whole of the bill, instead the Rethugs restated that to say time off of Rockefeller's amendment. This was not what everyone thought, including the Sen. Rockefeller who already had his time allocated on his amendment.

Don't worry, they'll bring Kerry back tonight, maybe around 8:00 or 9:00 om, just before the vote.

Rethugs are evil bastards. Never forget that.

[flpoljunkie]

11. It's not first time Kerry thought he had time on the floor, & it vanished.

And, by the way, is this travesty of a bill okay with Colin Powell. He has been mum since McCain, Lindsey and Warner rolled over for Bush and spat on the Constitution.

[TayTay]

6. This is hardly a surprise

The REthugs cut his amendments out from this bill and would not let them come to the floor or be debated. Why stop there? Rethugs hate free speech, hate resistance and will do anything within their power to silence opposition. America itself means nothing to them. They are evil bastards.

[_dynamicdems]

15. The smug bastards.

And they try to call Democrats obstructionists.

[madfloridian]

2. Good for him. Recommended.

We need to stand firm on this in the Senate.

[Windy]

7. WAY TO SPEAK OUT JOHN!!!!!!!!!!

GET YOUR COLLEAGUES TO DO THE SAME!!! THIS IS A TRAVESTY!

[iilana X]

28. I agree! There are some senators that make me proud to be a democrat.

John Kerry is one of them. :patriot:

[blm]

29. He pointed out the ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM - Bush's word can't be trusted.

.

[acmavm]

8. Hey, maybe some of the little shits here who don't think we

should say anything negative about dems who are supporting this obscenity of a bill should call up Kerry and lecture him on party 'UNITY' as well.

[Windy]

12. Anyone who supports this bill needs to be singled out

If you can support torture, the constituents need to make note and vote them out if they don't agree with their position. Party unity? Since when is legislating torture OK... Politics MUST be put aside. Its about damn time the dems take a stand against these thugs and this issue is fundamental to our morals and freedoms in this country. Those who don't think this will also effect american citizens need a civics lesson...

[sandnsea]

14. He's criticizing the BILL

Not going off on half-cocked rants against 34 Democrats in the House. There's a distnct difference which he has ALWAYS understood. If a few more DUers understood the difference, maybe we'd get more facts out to people in these rural areas so they'd understand what's at stake and their representatives could vote against this shit.

[TayTay]

18. What are you talking about here? It makes no sense as written n/t

[_dynamicdems]

22. I wondered that myself. n/t

[blm]

25. she's pointing out the dif between Kerry attacking the BILL and posters

attacking the Democratic party because of this bill.

[rolleitreks]

9. Great. Now stand up and filibuster. n/t

[Windy]

13. agreed n/t

[grizmaster]

16. bring on the filibuster

[LSK]

19. NOW Kerry is up

[lonestarnot]

20. Is he going to call us to arms?

[Bitwit1234]

21. Small Voice in this Matter

I feel as if I am all alone in the world. I know that there are fellow Americans out there, who like me, abhor this torture bill. But what is eating at my very soul is, they and I are not being heard. The government of this country according to President Lincoln, should be for the people, of the people and by the people. Right now right here it is not the fact.

What has happened to our country. That the men who were put in charge, some legal, most illegally, could come to this. Could approve of torture. Could approve of this bill. Can anybody, anybody at all explain what hold bush holds over these men and women, that they bow and scrape to his every bidding? The mood in this country has changed. The republicans who voted for this bill have to understand that the people are against it, and that they are in danger of losing their re-election bid. Or are they so confident that the voting process has been negated and they will win regardless.

We are no longer the United States of America, we have become the countries of the world former presidents and administrations have fought against. HOW COULD BUSH AND HIS HENCHMEN BRING OUR COUNTRY TO THIS. WE HAVE GOT TO THROW THE REPUBLICANS OUT. TO SAVE OUR COUNTRY.

[_dynamicdems]

23. It is sad but we can't lose heart.

We have to succeed in November. The henchmen need to be tossed out on their arses.

[atreides1]

24. "WE HAVE GOT TO THROW THE REPUBLICANS OUT."

I'm afraid it's too late to just throw them out, because they can always come back and continue with their agenda.

Perhaps a time will come when we must seriously consider more rash measures to "Preserve the Union" and hold on to our country as it was to be.

[blm]

32. That's why I want a Dem president who will open the books on BushInc.

from the last 4 decades, and let the public know what they have REALLY been about all this time.

[iilana X]

26. Good for him!

As usual, Kerry's standing up for what's right. He's right not to trust this administration.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

27. Well. That does it for me. This bill permits torture.

If Kerry says it does, then I know it does.
I wasn't sure, but I know now that is definitely the case.

[blm]

30. Easier to trust someone who knows constitutional law AND military law AND

civil law.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

33. But not if his name is

Lindsey Graham.

[blm]

34. heh - - I don't think he's big on civil law OR constitutional law.

.

[indepat]

31. Senator Kerry: we can count on this President for by his works he is known

[_dynamicdems]

35. Well stated.

Notice how his appearance and speech are more and more like a madman?

I'm not sure I believe in the Devil, but then I look at * and I start to believe that there really is such a thing as absolute evil.

[gully]

36. "we have seen in Iraq the consequences of simply accepting the word

of this Administration."

Yes, we have.

Fool me once -----

[blm]

37. Personally, I think all Dems should be LOUDLY QUESTIONING Bush's honesty

and pounding home that he CAN'T BE TRUSTED.

[Raffi Ella]

38. I think it would be a MAJOR talking point.

an extremely effective one.

[blm]

39. and throw in that he's focking crazy just for good measure. ;))))

.