Dick Durbin giving the Democratic response to Bush's escalation speech

[EarlG]

Run time: 05:49 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOHr_aIl84c   Posted on YouTube: January 11, 2007 By YouTube Member: duEarlG Views on YouTube: 2801   Posted on DU: January 11, 2007 By DU Member: EarlG Views on DU: 2728

 
Dick Durbin giving the Democratic response to Bush's escalation speech (with short Q&A afterwards).

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Thank you for posting.

!!

[New Earth]

2. it's so nice to see some opposition

and it's so relieving to hear someone speak coherent sentences. :o

[madfloridian]

3. I wish he wouldn't have said we have "given the Iraqis so much."

Because we really haven't, you know. If you take the low end of the death toll of their people it is about 400,000.

They don't have as much electricity or running water as they had before we invaded. Their health care is much worse than before we had invaded.

I respect Durbin, but I do wish he had not said that.

On Edit, did not mean that as a downer tonight. I am proud of our Dems. But they have to quit saying for the Iraqis to stand up when we have destroyed their infrastructure. And they are wrong to make it sound like we did them favors.

[Dumak]

4. I wish they'd just tell the truth

I wish he would have used the opportunity to briefly recap the history of Saddam Hussein, and how he got into power in the first place. The Dems still seem incapable of expressing the real reason for the invasion, which is oil theft, war profiteering, and political popularity. All they have to do is admit that things would be better off had we not invaded, and that we would have not approved the invasion had we not been lied to by the administration. None of this is coming through.

[wake.up.america]

5. For sure. The war was wrong from the outset. It did not become wrong at...

1 American death or 1,000 or 3,000 deaths.

[mzmolly]

6. Good point, but that is what you call "the language of leaving."

That statement was an attempt to reach "Bubba" not those of us who knew the truth from the outset.

What I noted in his speech tonight was an artful presentation of Democratic opposition to this war.

"Escalation of this war is not the change the American people called for in the last election.

"Instead of a new direction, the president's plan moves the American commitment in Iraq in the wrong direction,"

Also note who Durbin gave US another "911" to ponder?

"Every time they call 911, we are not going to send 20,000 more American soldiers,"

What we are seeing is an artfully crafted political message and some Democratic unity. Wow!

Have a good night MF.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

8. I guess I was thinking of how the educated Iraqis feel...

when we tell everyone how well we have treated them. They were an educated country we bombed into the stone age, and there does not have to be language used that is insulting to them.

[mzmolly]

9. That's an excellent point.

I hope if they are educated that they will understand partly? But, it is nauseating that we have to present our case to Neanderthals in this country.

I think in terms of "talking points" and what they are actually communicating vs. what they "say." But, it does leave a bitter taste at times, that's for sure.

[stephinrome]

16. And it's not just educated Iraqis...

...people all over the world will find those sorts of statements very difficult to stomach, very difficult to understand.

Steph

[maddezmom]

13. well said mzmolly

Durbin did well in my book. :hi:

[mzmolly]

24. Thanks Maddezmom.

I try to read between the "political lines" whenever possible. :hi:

[maddezmom]

35. nice to see you

back. :hug:

[mzmolly]

38. Thanks, it's nice to be back.

:hi:

[flying rabbit]

22. good catch

on the 911 thing. flew right over my head.

[mzmolly]

25. I'm sure we're hoping it will stick.

But, you can expect to hear it again.

;)

[Dangerman]

15. "Given the Iraqis so much"

We bombed their infrastructure to ashes, imposed sanctions which killed thousands of innocent children, we've murdered innocent people, we help executed a legitimate leader and replaced him with a corrupt government which was infiltrated by Shia death squad hell-bent on ethnic cleansing, we stole their oil, and we invoked civil war upon the Iraqis!

"Given the Iraqis so much"? Make that pissed them off!

I'm not buying what Durbin said. The Democrats would have done better by blasting Bush to crap!

Spineless cowards!

[Pacifist Patriot]

19. I thought it was sarcasm until I heard the subsequent remarks.

[mzmolly]

7. Read between the lines here folks. I do believe we've got ourselves an opposition party!

Here's a link to the transcript:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/10/durbin.transcript/

[madfloridian]

10. I agree they are going to do some opposition.

.

[MCMetal]

11. Dick Durbin giving the Democratic response to Bush's escalation speech

It should have been one of those huge foam hands you see at sporting events ; except the finger that was raised wouldn't be the 1st one , but the middle one ..................

[madfloridian]

12. Please understand I adore Durbin's style.

He is very effective.

He is one of my favorites. I just don't like ANY of our Democrats saying the Iraqis must stand up, and especially I don't them talking about all the good things we have done for them. We have done horrible things to do, and it is just not fair to speak so politically correctly in this case.

It has nothing to do with Durbin per se. Many of us wrote Howard Dean when he said the Iraqis had to stand up.. No one should say it.

[maddezmom]

14. so how should he have worded it?

:shrug: I think the rebuttal was fine, it really wasn't for our(DU people) consumption it was for the broader audience.

[madfloridian]

23. Perhaps he just did not need to say how much we had done for them.

It would have been better left unsaid.

We destroyed their country, killed hundreds of thousands of them. Then a Democrat of the party the world thinks might save us from this madness goes on TV and says we have done so much for them.

I understand now. It is called saying we won. Sorry I said anything.

[mzmolly]

26. It's about "framing."

But, never be sorry for speaking your mind. You speak for many who cringe when they hear various talking points.

[madfloridian]

29. You can "frame" and still tell the truth. We can not blame the victim.

We just can not do that and hold our heads up high.

[mzmolly]

31. That assumes everyone in Iraq liked Saddam Hussein in power.

There is a civil war going on for a reason. However, it would be great if we could find a different way to reach those who still support the war or are on the fence. Any ideas?

[madfloridian]

32. This is amazing.

You are actually excusing what we did.

[mzmolly]

33. "Excusing" no I'm explaining.

:hi:

Even Dean has made some cringe with "political statements" but I "get it."

[maddezmom]

36. I'm not excusing anything

but I think Durbin was talking to a larger audience than us DU junkies. :shrug:

[madfloridian]

37. He was talking to the world about what we have done in Iraq.

I don't they would agree that we have done a lot "for" the Iraqis.

Yes, I know it is politically correct speak.

[PegDAC]

39. It may have been for the broader audience,

but most of the MSM didn't even see fit to air it.

[MAX 1]

17. Truth and Lies

Repeal the AUMF of 2002.
End Bush's excuse to wage his war on the Iraqis.

There IS a difference between a RISK and a GAMBLE. It's called certainty.

DO NOT USE THE TROOPS AS BUSH'S HUMAN SHIELDS TO HIS LIES.

There WERE no WMD's
There WERE no 9/11 ties
There WERE no Bio/Chem weapons
There WERE no al-CIAda until we showed up on the scene

There ARE NOW IED's
There ARE NOW over 650 THOUSAND dead Iraqis
There ARE NOW over 3000 U.S. Soldiers dead
There ARE NOW secure OIL Fields

And America is safer NOW?
And America is richer NOW?
And America is credible NOW?
And Americans have their Freedoms NOW?

Is it "Mission Accomplished"...YET?

The President is abusing our airwaves and SPAMMING us with these lies.

He evokes 9/11, OBL er... al-CIAda, Nuk-a-lur weapons... Is this the SOTU '03 AGAIN?!?!

He talks about how in Afghanistan he has driven out al-CIAda and they hide now in Iraq.
But then there's Osama, hiding under 'A' rock in Pakistan. Go figure... Why aren't we there?

He tells us victories will not be celebrated, like in past wars, on the decks of battle ships.
So it really was "MISSION UNACCOMPLISHED" then?

Yes, Ladies and Gents...
The Decider has decided to throw more bodies onto his bonefire; Iraq.
Our soldiers are the sacrificial lambs for his

Operation
Iraqi
Liberation...

Peace... er WAR!:nuke:

[SutaUvaca]

18. Democratic unity, yes, artfully crafted response, yes,

But "We've given the Iraqis so much"
Bullshit.
As others have already said - the world will not accept such artfully crafted poopoo.

[mzmolly]

27. He is speaking in terms of dollars and American lives.

We HAVE sacrificed. Casey Sheehan, one case in point.

Granted many Iraqis would rather we hadn't "sacrificed" but some were happy when we "took out Saddam." It's the nature of the area. Tribal wars have been around for centuries, and we have inserted ourselves right in the middle of one.

This statement is about framing the exit, I embrace that.

[madfloridian]

28. This statement was heard all around the world.

The news in Europe as a rule carries more truth than ours does about what we have done to their country.

How do you think other countries took the statement about how much we had done for the Iraqis? That is my worry.

[mzmolly]

34. Well, that's a very legitimate worry.

I haven't checked the headlines in Europe, but if you come across some let me know. I'm off to check GD now.

[info being]

20. I can't watch this...

...he's full of shit. We've giving the Iraqis so much my ass.

[mzmolly]

30. Have you watched?

Please do so if you haven't. I don't think cherry picking political talking points is the key, personally.

The bottom line is that Democrats are crafting an opposition and trying to reach everyone with their message.

We have given over 3000 soldiers and billions of dollars to Halliburton. Some Iraqis are happy about that, or they were initially.

Durbin needs to frame this in a careful manner that will reach everyone, and I think he did a fine job of doing so.

Here's the transcript:

Tonight, President Bush acknowledged what most Americans know: We are not winning in Iraq, despite the courage and immense sacrifice of our military.

Indeed, the situation is grave and deteriorating.

The president's response to the challenge of Iraq is to send more American soldiers into the crossfire of the civil war that has engulfed that nation.

Escalation of this war is not the change the American people called for in the last election. Instead of a new direction, the president's plan moves the American commitment in Iraq in the wrong direction.

More here:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/10/durbin.transcript/

[info being]

21. I don't want to be part of a bully party that blames the victim...

...or things the victim needed to be hit...or whatever. Absolute crap.

[Mrspeeker]

40. We protected Iraq when no-one else would

By bombing them and ect.
Durbin needs to read the definition of protect.

This is crap the so called opposition party, the democrats, have been as much a part of this as anyone else. did anyone really think that by electing them we would have peace???? LOL

I'm very democratic minded but unfortunately most of the democratic party isn't!