Sealing His Eyes And Ears (by Sen. Robert Byrd for TomPaine.com)

[marmar]

Sealing His Eyes And Ears
Robert C. Byrd
May 02, 2007



Robert C. Byrd is the senior senator from West Virginia.

Four years ago, President Bush landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln to declare, "Mission Accomplished." For thousands of our soldiers and their families, and likely for the Iraqi people, it feels like a lifetime has passed. How wrong the president was then and how wrong he continues to be today.

By vetoing the supplemental legislation, the president has chosen to hold hostage $100 billion for our troops to a failed policy. He is once again demonstrating his detachment from the realities on the ground in Iraq, and his indifference to the will of the American people at home. The president's veto ensures that hundreds, maybe thousands more will die in Iraq without bringing that country any closer to peace.

Before the war began, I urged the president to think through the consequences. I was very concerned about the repercussions that would follow this country’s certain military victory. Tragically, the repercussions I feared all have come to pass.

No matter how hard the president hopes it will happen, sectarian violence will not be quelled with U.S. forces occupying the Iraqi nation. Cross your fingers. Rub your lucky rabbit’s foot. Nail a horse shoe over the door to the Oval Office. Hoping for luck will not change the deadly dynamic in Iraq. Peace demands an Iraqi-led diplomatic, economic and security effort, the kind of which, to date, the Iraqi government has been unable or unwilling to undertake. Our legislation could have motivated the Iraqi people to take more responsibility by instituting benchmarks and rewards for positive outcomes. Instead, the president has again chosen to have our troops go it alone in a centuries old sectarian war with no end in sight. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/05/02/sealing_his_eyes_and_ears.php