Top Democrat calls for troop withdrawal from Iraq (Sen. Robert Byrd)

[sabra]

http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1100682.php

Top Democrat calls for troop withdrawal from Iraq

The Senate’s senior Democrat called Tuesday for the Bush administration to withdraw the military from Iraq to focus on domestic needs such as hurricane relief.
“Sometimes, it takes a catastrophe to put events into perspective, to shake us and sharpen our clarity of vision,” said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.

“We cannot continue to commit billions in Iraq when our own people are so much in need, not only now, in New Orleans, but all across America for everything from education to health care to homeland security to securing our own borders,” Byrd said in a speech on the Senate floor.

“We need to stop making excuses, stop spinning facts and come to grips with the unpleasant truth. The government of the United States is failing the American people.”

[JuniperLea]

1. Not only that

but it appears the rest of the allies are pulling out... better not be caught there alone and better not piss anyone else off further.

What a bunch of fekking idiots. Miserable failures, one and all.

[knowbody0]

2. PEACE TRAIN !!!

what if we woke up tomorow and logic prevailed?

[iconoclastic cat]

3. Very, very good idea. Take the issue away from the Republicans.

That way they won't be able to purge themselves of the Bush stink in 2006 or 2008 by saying, "Hey, we're against it, too!" They also won't be able to win by calling for withdrawls, getting them, and declaring vicory.

[me b zola]

4. I hope more join in the calling for complete withdraw from Iraq

May their voices become louder and louder.

They will hear my voice Sept 24th :)

[suffragette]

5. full text at Byrd's site

Thanks so much for posting this.

After reading the article from the Navy Times, I went to Senator Byrd's site and read the full text which is longer and very powerful. It's long, but well worth reading.

http://byrd.senate.gov/newsroom/news_sept/priorities.html



Byrd Issues Call for Debate on National Priorities

Small excerpt:
It is time for a national epiphany. The sound of Katrina’s bugle must be heeded. We cannot continue to commit billions in Iraq when our own people are so much in need, not only now, in New Orleans, but all across America for everything from education to health care to homeland security to securing our own borders. We need to stop making excuses, stop spinning the facts, and come to grips with the unpleasant truth. The government of the United States is failing the American people.

[Trevelyan]

30. Has Anyone Heard Any More About the Massacre Taking Place in Iraq NOW!!

Tal Afar Residents Send Out SOS

Injured civilians find no health care.

MOSUL, September 9, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Residents of the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar has sent out an SOS to the international community to interfere with the US occupation authorities to stop their continuing bombing of their devastated city, revealing a terrible humanitarian situation.

"US and Iraqi forces are still besieging Tal Afar amid ongoing intensive bombing, ordering residents of Hassan Kawi and Sarray neighborhoods to evacuate immediately," a Tal Afar tribal leader told IOL over the phone Thursday, September 8.

"The Americans are seemingly bombing the city with chemical weapons," he said, adding Tal Afar residents are speaking of suffocations and other health problems upon exposure to any hit area.

Residents told IOL over the phone that they saw an ambulance driver trying to evacuate 10 corpses on a Hassan Kawi street. When he tried to move them to the morgue, US forces refused and ordered him to speed away.

US and Iraqi troops have been besieging the city since Saturday, September 3, and were reportedly gearing up for a large-scale offensive.

[slay]

32. Woah!

I hadn't heard about that - but nothing would surprise me at this point unfortunatly. :(

[Eurobabe]

6. fina-frickin-leee!!!

eom

[Megahurtz]

7. Right On, Dude!

Tell it like it is!

[texpatriot2004]

8. Byrd is right n/t

[sandnsea]

9. "Time For A National Epiphany"

Outstanding speech!!

Snips and link to complete text:

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=1370

[paineinthearse]

10. LBN at 3:41?

GDP had it at 11:18AM.

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2086803

[sabra]

12. paineinthearse, you rock!

took awhile for it to hit the wire... :-)

[paineinthearse]

28. I would have posted to LBN, but watching CSPAN is not considered a

legit media source.

Go figure.

Anyway, please visit the LBN post (link above), it's hasn't gotten any reads in a few hours.

[Mr_Spock]

13. GD is da balls!

You tell 'em paine!

[Zhade]

11. Word, Byrd.

Word.

Bring 'em all home, ASAP!

[Trevelyan]

31. Wage Peace - Sign the petition and read more

about the exhibit @ Eyes Wide Open 28 Aug 2005 12:26:32 -0000
Subject: File - This is now an unwinnable conflict

Iraq: This is now an unwinnable conflict
-----------------------------------------
As he completes another tour of duty in the chaos of Iraq, award-winning reporter Patrick Cockburn charts how Bush and Blair's 'winnable war' turned into a mess that is inspiring a
worldwide insurgency
Published: 24 July 2005

The Duke of Wellington, warning hawkish politicians in Britain
against ill-considered military intervention abroad, once said: "Great nations do not have small wars." He meant that
supposedly limited conflicts can inflict terrible damage on powerful
states. Having seen what a small war in Spain had done to Napoleon,
he knew what he was talking about.

The war in Iraq is now joining the Boer War in 1899 and the Suez crisis in 1956 as ill-considered ventures that have done Britain
more harm than good. It has demonstrably strengthened al-Qa'ida by
providing it with a large pool of activists and sympathisers across
the Muslim world it did not possess before the invasion of 2003. The
war, which started out as a demonstration of US strength as the
world's only superpower, has turned into a demonstration of
weakness. Its 135,000-strong army does not control much of Iraq....

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article301250.ece

[Lecky]

14. 2nd Democrat in the Senate to step up to the plate...

Feingold
Byrd


...and awaiting more... c'mon Democrats, don't be shy now.

[Cocoa]

20. Boxer too

she said she's with Feingold. :bounce:

[Lecky]

22. Oops my bad!

Good for them! Boxer, Feingold Byrd...

:thumbsup:

[confludemocrat]

15. Unfortunately, he's not a "top Democrat" anymore. Waiting for top Demos

still. Kerry Biden Bayh Clinton Lieberman are the biggies. They remain pro-war and it's getting a bit late (in their positioning-based philosophy) for them to reverse course without paying a heavy price. They are self-destructing if they are betting things turn well in Iraq in time for the 2008 election.

[Gnostic]

26. The problem with the Dems

You hit the nail right on the head.

"Kerry Biden Bayh Clinton Lieberman are the biggies. They remain pro-war"

Exactly.

Here is my take on it. A big reason, IMO, that the Dems have done so miserably the past two elections (both presidential and congressional) is that, honestly, they have NOT been a truly alternative party. This is why I occasionally refer to the two party system we have as a fraud. Long story short, the Dems, as far as this war goes, have not offered anything even remotely alternative, and leave us with morons like Al Franken who harp on about how we all "support the troops" and how the Dems would fight the war better than the Repubs and give our troops armor, better equipment, etc, etc blah blahhh. I got news for ya Al. I DON'T SUPPORT OUR TROOPS. Know why? Because I'm not falling for that crap. It's an age old trick to garner support for a war from people who would otherwise, in all good conscious, oppose it. I don't support the war, I don't support our troops being over there. I want our troops HOME. Period. No better armor, no better equipment, no telling me how the Dems would fight it soooo much better than the assclowns we have in office now. BRING EM HOME dammit, that's how I'll "support our troops". Get it now Al?

I believe Dem politicians like Byrd are finally coming to realize how this war, and attitudes of fellow Dems like Franken's, Clinton's etc etc, have actually overtaken the democratic party and made a mockery of it and it's *supposed* opposition to this farce. For all practical purposes, we as a people have been left, over the course of the past 3 years, with two parties and platforms to choose from....pro-war and pro-war. I think Byrd realizes that, finally after so long, many people have come to think of the democratic party as a fraud itself. Why vote for the dems, who say they want to persue this farce too, when we already HAVE pro-war warmongers in office? What the hell would exactly be the difference? Tha our guys would be stuck in a neverending quagmire....but with better armor?? What a joke.

It's time for ALL dems to wake up and start REALLY opposing this war and this administration's policies. Not molly-coddling it, not being afraid of seeming "unpatriotic" or "not supporting our troops" (blech), just coming right out with it and telling them to bring em home, period, and no more funding for it, plain and simple.

Wake up.

[confludemocrat]

27. Welcome! Such a statement should be used to start a thread sometime, Alot

of people are thinking that and are sick of the equivocating and the talking around the issue by these leading names: that the war is criminal and the participants are war criminals--being too scared about seeming to treat the troops as returning Viet vets were supposedly treated-basically a myth. I'm sorry they got killed "serving our country", but they weren't serving our country, serving our country would be supporting its ideals not by spraying bullets at cars filled with civilians--among the things triggering the Iraqi fighters to go after anything in desert camouflage--but admitting the mistake and doing everything once we withdraw, to meet the needs of their sovereignty (only if they ask for it) once they sort things out be it support with money or simply shutting up and leaving them alone.

[Gnostic]

39. That's the point

"being too scared about seeming to treat the troops as returning Viet vets were supposedly treated-basically a myth. I'm sorry they got killed "serving our country", but they weren't serving our country"

The whole point can be summarized within your comment.

They are "too scared" to seem "unpatriotic" or "unsupportive of our troops", which has been made to go hand in hand by the Repubs and yes, many Dems, and the mindless sheeple under their spell. If you don't support our troops you're a traitor and you should leave. Bullcrap. The way I see supporting our troops is to discontinue the unending and massive funding of this farce, and of the military-industrial complex as we know it, end the crony capitalism and empire building of the Neocons. I support our troops by demanding they be returned home, out of harm's way for lies and deciet and oil profits and crony contracts and here to help the people who pay their checks. I don't want them over there, and I'm sick of being part of the sheeple population in this country that the fed-guv only considers as a bottomless supply of tax derived funds with which to play world policeman and export "democracy" to countries that don't want it under the guise of making Amerika more secure and to fund the Neocon's globalist agendas whilst cronies like Cheney get to buy yet another mansion. Bring em home, PERIOD. And if the Democratic Party does'nt start realizing this in earnest among it's top chieftains, then I'm sorry to say but it basically relegates the Dems into a sham and farce themselves as far as offering even the remotest alternative to what we have running the show now. Simple. We need a truly alternative party in this country and so far the Dems have failed utterly miserable. Time to wake up.

[Frederik]

37. Welcome!

I agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote. DLC can kiss my ass. And it is a huge problem for the American democracy that, as you point out, in the last election the two candidates were both pro-war. What flavor would you like your war? Kerry's solution to the Iraq debacle was to add two divisions to the Army and send more troops to Iraq... Escalation, as it was once known as.

[Gnostic]

40. Great post

"What flavor would you like your war?"

Indeed.

The two party fraud system strikes again.

Dems, wake up. Stop playing the game. Stop being paranoid and afraid of seeming "unpatriotic" and traitorous". The only thing unpatriotic and traitorous, indeed dangerous, is to blindly go along with this nonsense in the name of "finishing the job" or "securing America". There was and is nothing to secure us from in Iraq. The job which waits to be finsihed never should have been started in the first place. Stop kow-towing to the McCarthy-like brainwashing and misleading rhetoric about "supporting our troops" or being a traitor. Hogwash. I don't support this war, and many others do not as well, and we should NOT be backed into a corner to actually wind up SUPPORTING this farce because we have troops over there who need our "support". With support like that, insurgents and battlefield enemies are the LEAST of our soldier's worries.

[paineinthearse]

38. What criteria do you use to define "biggie"?

I'll take Byrd and Kennedy over Kerry, Biden, Bayh, Clinton or Lieberman, any day!

[Gnostic]

41. Definition of "biggie"

My definition would be ex-presidents (Clinton), ones who have seriously RUN for president (Kerry) and those who weild enormous political clout and power within the party (Lieberman, etc). Byrd is a secondary player. I salute him for his wake up call speech, but unfortunately that's all it's going to amount to, instead of solid, concrete ACTION by the Dems as a whole. Kerry and Clinton need to wake the hell up or stop pandering to the ignorant masses who still equate treason with not "supporting the troops" or persuing the war differently, and pandering to their lobbying influences or whatever reason they may still find for wanting to persue this farce further in any way whatsoever. They, in my mind, are committing treason against their own party by abandoning the voice of the people they pretend to represent and instead playing along with the entire deceitful charade. Just my opinion.

[BlueJac]

16. Head em' up and move em' out!!

Sanity might return to this country someday?

[stickdog]

17. Tell it. (nt)

[ninkasi]

18. Powerful words...

Sen. Byrd has again used his eloquence , and written a powerful article, filled with truth. I realize some of our other Dems, Clinton, Kerry, etc., have been for increasing troop levels to "get the job done." No increase in troop levels can win this war. It is unwinnable.

This seems to me to be a perfect opportunity for them to change positions without coming across as "flip-floppers." We have heard that 9-11 changed everything for the last 4 years. Now we need to address another fact; Katrina has changed everything.

Trying to maintain a war in Iraq, illegal and unnecessary to begin with, in addition to the staggering costs of rebuilding the areas devastated by Katrina, is impossible. We simply cannot afford it. Get the troops out now, and as Sen. Byrd has said, address the problems of crumbling infrastructure and poverty, wage inequality and taxes tipped in favor of the rich. It's time to concentrate on rebuilding America.

[Gnostic]

42. Forget it

"I realize some of our other Dems, Clinton, Kerry, etc., have been for increasing troop levels to "get the job done." "

I don't want the "job done". It's a job that never should have been started, based on lies, deceptions and profiteering. Could someone please kindly inform Clinton and Kerry that alot of us are starting to consider them complete sell-outs?

[Amonester]

19. Logical. Now how about "convincing" Biden, Clinton (& all DLC) ?

DON'T WAIT 'TIL ALL THE MONEY'S GONE OVERSEAS!

Excellent idea (t's about time!)

Peace = Peace (not war bullying criminals!)

[MasonJar]

21. Senator Burd is my hero. If you remember, the Senator gave

rousing and eloquent speeches trying to keep us out of Iraq. Of course the Pugs just laughed. If George Bush had one iota of the statesmanship and eloquence of Senator Byrd, he would be 1000% smarter than he is now.

[Martin Eden]

44. Yes, I remember

Byrd eloquently pleaded with the Senate to stay out of Iraq, but far too many of his Democratic colleagues turned a deaf ear.

He's my hero too, and his speeches are remarkably prescient -- especially for an octegenarian.

[Pastiche423]

23. As nostamj would say...

That's THE Senator!

Miss you, Jeff.

[Maggie_May]

24. Such Class

He fought to keep us out of Iraq and they blew him off. Our Democrats need to follow his precedence and get our guys home. We have wasted to many lives and to much money. I think I read somewhere that the money is running low anyone remember reading that? Senator Byrd also called for oversight of the monies being spent he new it was going to cost billions. Time to wake up and get the hell out of there!

[MojoXN]

25. That's my Senator!

You tell 'em RCB!!! Some Rightists actually LISTEN to the man. Not as many as listen to Zell Miller, but many nonetheless. If Byrd starts speaking out, you can expect the rest of the Dems to follow suit in short order.

MojoXN

[slay]

29. "The government of the United States is failing the American people"

Finally! The truth.

[blonndee]

33. I love you, Mr. Byrd. Will you be MY senator? n/t

[Lasher]

35. You can't have him, he's mine!

Here is a link to Byrd's Senate speech on February 12, 2003:

http://home.earthlink.net/~jbuddenh/Senator_Byrd_speech.htm

As I read it again, 2.5 years later, I am reminded of his courage at the time. But now I'm getting a fuller appreciation for just how prophetic the Soul of the Senate was when he spoke these words.

[emald]

34. Byrd is absolutely correct

we do need to "get out". The guy that got us there needs to go to prison as well as all his cronies. Whats the chances of that happeing?

[Lena inRI]

36. Way to go, Senator Byrd. . .

now please join us for the March September 24th and bring as many Dems as you can inspire. . .let's see if Senators Boxer and Feingold do the same.

Mo-o-o-o-o-o-mentum, please!

:kick:

[Voltaire99]

43. High. Effing. Time.

Are you listening, Hillary? Kerry? Biden? And all of you Dems who have been collaborators with Bush on this unholy war?

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Barkley]

46. The Navy Times carried this story!?!?!