Byrd takes to Senate floor on Afghanistan

[Hubert Flottz]

Source: Charleston Gazette

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., questioned the wisdom of sending more troops to Afghanistan in a speech delivered Wednesday afternoon on the Senate floor.


"Such a commitment demands the clearest of clear thinking," Byrd said, "including an assessment of goals, objectives, risks and strategies.


"This is a difficult terrain for any American president, especially when faced with conflicting views from advisers, Congress and the American public."


Byrd has been a vocal critic of the Iraq war since former President George W. Bush began planning it, and seeking congressional approval, in 2002.



Read more: http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200910140875

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Senator Byrd might be "old," but his mind still seems to be working better than most politicians in Washington, it looks like.

[bluestateguy]

1. He's an old buzzard

He's anti-gay, and I am not yet convinced that he has totally abandoned his racialist views from his KKK days 60 years ago.

But what gets me is that he will oppose a public option for health care if it is done by way of reconciliation. See, he cares more about obscure Senate rules and procedure more than doing what is right for the country.

[denem]

3. Sen. Byrd WROTE those "obscure (reconciliation) Senate rules and procedures" in 1974

You bet he cares about them. Integrity is what it is.

[bluestateguy]

4. I guess we just have a different interpretation of integrity

Byrd has his and that's fine.

Mine is equal rights for gays and providing health care to all Americans.

But that's OK. Byrd's idea of integrity can be found in the Senate rulebook. It's just a different interpretation of how we see integrity.

[denem]

5. On procedure, Byrd is a champion of the ends do not justify the means.

One only has to look back to the "nuclear option" on appointing SCOTUS judges to see where that leads.

Sen Byrd's prejudices are quite another matter but he represents a generation vanishing into history, including his insistence on procedure.

[Piewhacket]

7. Concur. Byrd has been around a long time.... time enough for the winds..

of change to blow. Yet still he is evolving.

But what does not change about him is his integrity,
his dedication to mythical old religion the tenets of
which are scribed on an old parchment he occasionally
pulls from his pocket and holds high (as though a
mighty sword raised to smite his enemies).

No doubt he has a bible in the other pocket.

[denem]

11. Beautifully written. Thank you.

[24601]

8. And he's 3rd in line for the Presidency after the VP and House Speaker n/t

[BeHereNow]

2. Thank God for Senator Byrd.

When the history is written about this shameful time, the
children of future generations will know that there was a
least ONE voice of sanity that remained consistent through out it.

They will wonder, however, why no one listened.

BHN

[lobodons]

6. Bush deserves to be in prison, but.....

I believe Bush committed war crimes while he was in office, but what we need right now is a little bit of his doctrine in Pakistan. Fuck Iraq. Fuck Afghanistan. Pakistan is where we need to be.

[Mari333]

9. we dont need to be anywhere.

if we stopped sticking our nose in everyones business we wouldnt be in this mess.

[unhappycamper]

12. Why do we need to be in Pakistan?

Who appointed us World Cops?

[saigon68]

13. WE NEED TO BE IN PAKISTAN

First for the uneducated </sarcasm>

Then-----

amerika can't control crime in LA. How the fuck will anything good happen in that scum hole?

To find Osama you need some good detectives. Its a police matter.

You don't send 18 year old rustics from appalachia into that place posing as soldiers to find his 6"5" ugly, shriveled ass.

[Vidar]

10. Good for Byrd.