Kerry: ‘It’s Immoral for Old Men to Send Young Americans to Fight and Die"

[kerrygoddess]

John Kerry: ‘It’s Immoral for Old Men to Send Young Americans to Fight and Die in Conflict With a Strategy That is Failing’
September 7th, 2006 @ 12:19 am

John Kerry let it rip on the Senate Floor Wednesday in the debate on a “no-confidence vote on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.” The Republican controlled Senate blocked the “no-confidence vote” but not before John Kerry and other Dems had their say.

…Democrats blasted Rumsfeld as a key architect of the war, they said the problem was broader than the secretary and that Bush must abandon failing policies.

John Kerry, blasted Rumsfeld for his “speech to the American Legion in which he likened critics of the administration’s Iraq policies to those who appeased Nazi Germany before World War Two,” calling it a “low and ugly political speech, smearing those who dissent from the catastrophic policy.”

Kerry added, “I think it’s immoral for old men to send young Americans to fight and die in conflict with a strategy that is failing, and a mission that has not weakened terrorism but strengthened it.”

The full transcript of John Kerry’s floor speech on Rumsfeld is available here - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4100#more-4100

[TayTay]

1. That is very important.

Calling this war 'immoral' is a call to unendingly oppose it and work to end it. Period, no qualifiers.

WoW! and thanks for posting this KG.

[ProSense]

2. Nailed it again!

Thank you Senator Kerry!

I keep reading comments about going after Bush instead of Rumsfeld. Damn do both. Rumsfeld, with his long history of immoral actions, is the perfect target. Next to Bush and Cheney, he is the best example of immoral leadership and war crimes.

[karynnj]

5. Not to mention - the motion on the floor was on Rumsfeld

It would be weird if Kerry didn't address Rumsfeld instead of Bush here.

[karynnj]

3. Thanks for the transcript - Great speech

Maybe that's why Gregg went into the strange attack mode he did - maybe he was assigned to counter Kerry and placed after him to do that. How do you counter a white hot, brilliant indictment of Rumsfeld - all perfectly documented? Maybe the Republicans thought he'd do a better job than Sessions. (Does anyone here think Sessions would run away and hide if Kerry walked purposely in his direction?)

[TayTay]

4. I absolutely think Sessions would do that

In January little Jeffy took to the floor to denounce the Alito filibuster and to ridicule Kerry for launching the action from the ski slopes of Davos. This is part of what he said on the floor of the Senate:

There is no basis to object to this nominee. There is absolutely no justification for denying him an up-or-down vote, which is what the filibuster attempts to do. We can all agree, I suppose, that it is an international filibuster because it was apparently hatched in Davos, Switzerland, where Senator Kerry now is with those masters of the universe trying to figure out the world economy. Maybe they ought to spend more time trying to get gasoline prices down than worrying about conjuring up a filibuster of a judge as able as Judge Alito. They are not here in the Chamber, and that is what we have every right to expect.

oh and this:

Mr. SESSIONS. Before I yield, I have been making humor here about Senator Kerry over in Davos, Switzerland, calling for a filibuster back here. One of the issues we have with regard to the confirmation of judges is that judges show restraint and be faithful to our law, not ``foreign law.'' There is no doubt that Judge Alito and Justice Roberts do not agree that we ought to be quoting foreign law to justify legal opinions in the United States.

Of course, a few minutes later an exhausted Sen. Kerry arrived to speak and formally call for the filibuster. Little Jeffy Sesssions, master of humor as quoted above, was nowhere to be seen. He had apparently retreated to his office so as not to confront Kerry directly.

[demdiva]

6. Thanks! Mind if I post of the DNC website? Still testing out the new tools

[Democrafty]

7. Oh, perfect!

I'd been hoping for a transcript. Thanks, KG.