Kerry’s ‘Real Security’ Speech: "Bush-Cheney Cut and Run in Iraq"

[kerrygoddess]

John Kerry’s ‘Real Security For America’ Speech: “The Bush-Cheney Administration Has Engaged in a Policy of Cut and Run in Iraq"
September 9th, 2006 @ 6:25 am

In a short time John Kerry will step up to the podium at Faneuil Hall in Boston and deliver this speech, below that speaks to the heart of Americans who are fed up with the failed policies and lies and of the Bush administration. And speaking of the lies of the Bush administration….

The news is out about the report released by the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday, that there were no “prewar ties between Saddam Hussein’s government and an operative of Al Qaeda, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.”

The disclosure undercuts continuing assertions by the Bush administration that such ties existed, and that they provided evidence of links between Iraq and Al Qaeda. The Republican-controlled committee, in a second report, also sharply criticized the administration for its reliance on the Iraqi National Congress during the prelude to the war in Iraq.

The conclusions of the Senate Intel report go far beyond their earlier report, released in the summer of 2004, and include criticism not only of CIA and American intelligence agencies but also of the Bush administration. Clearly the report backs up what John Kerry and other Democratic leaders have said for some time.

The Democratic Daily has received an advance copy of John Kerry’s ‘Real Security’ speech. The text is as follows:

‘Real Security For America’
John Kerry

The war on terror that was brought home to the Casey family on a sunny autumn morning that suddenly turned into midnight five years ago, also brought home for all of humanity the stark reality that we are in a fateful contest between forces of evil and hate and the defenders of progress and hope.

The outcome will determine whether our children live in freedom or fear. This is a clash between humanity’s best ideals and the darkness of superstition and oppression. And this is not a clash of faiths: the true Islam is a faith to live by, not a call to terrorize and kill.

In this war, the war against terrorism, there is no substitute for victory. I don’t know a single American who needs a politician to remind them that we have to win this fight.

On Monday, we will commemorate our largest loss of civilian life on a single day in American history. As we remember the horror, the unforgettable shock, and the pride in those who rushed to the rescue, it is our duty to take account as a nation of where we have come since that terrible moment and where we must go if we are to keep America safe in these perilous times.

Since the beginning, at critical moments in our nation’s history, Americans have gathered here at Faneuil Hall to find a better way forward. This is where Americans first agreed on our nation’s promise and where they have gathered ever since to help our country keep it.

That is why you and I have convened here four times so far this year – to chart a new course, for a nation that has been misled on global climate change, misled on health care, misled on fundamental constitutional values, and misled into a war that was based on a lie, a war that can and must be brought to a close.

Donald Rumsfeld – the man who should have been fired as Secretary of Defense long ago – Donald Rumsfeld recently gave a low and ugly speech in which he smeared those who dissent from a catastrophic policy, and then spoke of “moral confusion.”

Well, there certainly is a lot of moral confusion around these days.

It is immoral for old men to send young Americans to fight and die in a conflict without a strategy that can work – on a mission that has not weakened terrorism but worsened it.

It is immoral to lie about progress in that war to get through a news cycle or an election.

It is immoral to treat 9/11 as a political pawn – and to continue to excuse the invasion of Iraq by exploiting the 3,000 mothers and fathers, sons and daughters who were lost that day. They were attacked and killed not by Saddam Hussein but by Osama bin Laden.

And it is deeply immoral to compare a majority of Americans who oppose a failing policy and seek a winning one to appeasers of Fascism and Naziism.

CONTINUE READING HERE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4130

[saltpoint]

1. God damn YES. Thank you, Senator Kerry.

[fedupinBushcountry]

2. Live blog now

on Dkos http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/9/104253/0341 and in the Kerry group.

[kerrygoddess]

3. God Damn Yes - Is Right

It's one hell of a speech!

[babylonsister]

4. Rec'd! Thank you, kerrygoddess! nt

[fedupinBushcountry]

5. Live blog from TayTay

Michael Casey speaking a 9/11 widower


He lost his wife, Neilie, when Flight 11 out of Logan Airport flew into the Twin Towers on 9/11. He was left with a six month old daugher to raise and care for.

Mr. Casey is talking about how he did receive a lot of support from local, state and federal sources.

Mr. Casey's ties to Sen. Kerry go back to Kerry's 1996 re-election race. Kerry's office was in touch with him right after the 9/11 events and Kerry was at the two-hour memorial service for Neilie. (And, Casey said, been there ever since.)

Mr. Casey has re-married and he and his family are whole and healing. (Good to know.)

It was not so for a while. Casey was talking about the fear he had afte 9/11. He was looking to a government that would do and act to take this threat seriously and genuinely provide some real security for America.

Casey is, like the Jersey Girls whose activism got the 9/11 hearings, looking for some answers as to what happened. Casey is going through a list of wht the government has not done.

What has happened with Osama bin Laden, the man responsible for his wife's death?

What happened? Who is actually trying to secure America? What happened to America? (Good question.)

by TayTay on Sat Sep 09, 2006 at 07:59:19 AM PDT

< Reply to This |Recommend >

The next speaker is Michael Casey. by TayTay, Sat Sep 09, 2006 at 07:59:19 AM PDT (2+ / 0-)

[fedupinBushcountry]

6. Gary Hart speaking now

Starts off with a quote from Louis Brandeis about valuing liberty and people who valued it as the secret of happiness. (Will have to get the quote, it was good.)

Sen. Kart is pointing out that America has failed to actually meet the test before it and we have failed to secure our borders because of the war in Iraq. This is draining our resources and putting our actual liberties at risk.

Hart also brought Katrina into the discussion, as it proves who ill-prepared we are to meet a crisis.

National security is no taken seriously by the Admin, we need leaders who understand that our energy dependency on oil puts us at risk. We need leaders who don't put Constitutional rights away to harp fear all the time.

Sen. Hart is praising Kerry as leader and as one who has been 'in the fight' for a long time. (Nice kuddos to the Mass crowd: Good for you for having the good sense to elect good Dems. LOL!)

[blm]

8. heh - you just answered my question from below.

grazie

[blm]

7. I heard Gary Hart and Kerry have been working together - is Hart there

at the speech, livebloggers?


Two fine peace seeking, security minds.

[fedupinBushcountry]

9. He is introducing Kerry

More from TayTay:

These two have been friends, as I understand it, for a long time. Hart is talking about how Americans must adopt a sane energy policy that will mean that we don't have to send our sons and daughters off to war. (Loved this line.)

[blm]

11. Reposting this from LevensonK: Hart's intro

Gary Hart up

Quote by Louis Brandeis about the value of liberty as secret of happiness.

Edmund Burke; people never give up their liberties but under delusion. This government has raised delusion to a high art. Left things unfinished and unnecessary invasion of Iraq. We produced constitutional crisis by instilling fear and giving up liberties.

Are we safer? No. Jihadists have proven to be patient and Katrina has proven the incompetence of our security response.

Need leaders to step forward who understand link between energy independence and secrity and repsect constitution. Who do not substitute delusion for courage.

John Kerry is among those. We watched a young lieutenant go to war, return and speak out against that war. Now a widely respected figure across the world stage.

Has served among great Senators; Muskie, etc. among few surviving, Ted Kennedy is one. As is John Kerry. JK puts national interest above all else. Rises above ideological meanness.

If we are to regain respect of the world, we must pin our hope on the few leaders like JK that remain.

Nobody has struggled more effectively in National Security than JK. We must hope that his struggle will continue. That he will not falter or fail. Voice of conviction, courage, conscience, will not diminish, but prevail.

Ladies and gentlemen; Senator John Kerry

[fedupinBushcountry]

10. Senator Kerry speaking Now

Cont. from TayTay:

Sen. Kerry noting that today is indeed a carbon copy of that day 5 years ago when the planes took off from Logan. (It really is a beautiful, cloudless day and the temperature is about the same.)

Kerry thankns Hart for his work on the 9/11 and homeland security commission. (www.cfr.org has a copy of the rudman-hart report, btw, from 2002.)

Kerry is talking about a clash of civilization, not a clash of faiths. Islam is not a religion of terrorism and violence. This is a war against extremists, not a religion.

[fedupinBushcountry]

12. Kerry: A war based on LIES

cont.:

I will post little bursts of what he is saying, in hopes of keeping up.

Whew! That didn't take long. We were mislead on one thing after another, and into a war based on lies. Standing O.

Rumsfeld, who should have been fired long ago as SOD, gave a low and ugly speech, that condemend dissent and then spoke of moral confusion.

It is immoral for old men to send young Americans to fight and die in a conflict without a strategy or plan.

Immoral, immoral, immoral.

... to treat 9/11 as a political pawn and to excuse the invasion of Iraq by pointing to 9/11. (They were killed not by Huseein, but by OBL.)

[saltpoint]

13. Re Kerry's calling the Bush administration "deeply immoral" . . .

That works for me just fine. :thumbsup: :dem:

[kerrygoddess]

14. Me too

He used that line the other day in a floor speech on Rumsfeld - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4100

I love it!

[saltpoint]

17. Agreed. The Bush administration has committed horrific acts and

perpetuated grievous lies to back those acts up, all at the cost of human lives - - ours and Iraqis both.

Iraq is a smoking pile of rubble as a result of the Bush administration's assault.

I love it that Senator Hart is there today also -- I'm a long-time fan of Hart, and supported him over Mondale in 1984.

And Senator Kerry is at his best, or better, and his best is always very, very good.

[fedupinBushcountry]

15. More

The Repubs, instead of doing something trot out the fear card.


Instead of what FDR said, we have nothing to fear but fear itself, they have nothing to offer but fear itself.

This cyncial Administration is relying on fear to get them through the next election. We actually need a plan to caputre/kill OBL.

We have to use all the resources we have to actually come up with a plan for security. And we must ALWAYS tell the American people the truth.

[fedupinBushcountry]

16. TayTay is doing a great job

more:

Kerry is really slamming the Admin for their lack of telling the truth the American people and their substitution of fear and empty talk for action.

Iraq is not now and never had been the central front in the war on terror.

It is Bush and his lack of planning that made Iraq the fuel cell for terrrism in that area and made it a training ground for terrorists.

[saltpoint]

19. I disagree. Tay-Tay is doing a PERFECT job.

[ProSense]

22. More press,

a big enthusiatic crowd, and Senator Kerry is rocking the house!

[saltpoint]

26. I picture a scene in Columbus, where Ken Blackwell's staff is having

coffee and coverage of this speech is carried live, and they look up and realize that everything Kerry says is true, and that they (or their boss) were complicit in the effort to smear and defraud Kerry-Edwards of the 04 election.

I hope they have more moral fiber than their boss, and I hope their resumes have already gone out, because Ted Strickland, endorsed vigorously by John Kerry this summer, is going to kick Blackwell's ass a long, long way.

[fedupinBushcountry]

18. Good crowd loving the harshness of the speech

more:


There have already been a few standing o's and long breaks for applause.

There are more people in the world nw who want to kil Americans than there were on 9/11.

Al Qaeda is now in 65 countries world-wide. Obnly Dick Cheney could call this a success. (Good line.)

The Taliban now control entire portions of Afghanistan. Pakistan is only one coup away from being toppled and becoming a terrorist-friendly state. Only Dnald Rumsfeld could call this a success.

[fedupinBushcountry]

20. Kerry is now going through the list of failures

more:

This could take awhile.

North Korea is more dangerous and has been testing more nuclear weapons. 9Only George W. Bush could call that a success.)

Iran: more complicated point about how when we move against the Shia, it creates complications with Iran. (Oh, go read this part. Kerry specifically calls out the neocon agenda and their need to ramp up the fear on Iran before the midterms.)

[ProSense]

21. You're doing a great job too!

Thanks!

[fedupinBushcountry]

23. Thank you, I'm trying to keep up

TayTay is on a roll.

More:

The Domestic Agenda


The 9/11 commission, which was brought into being not by the Repubs but from action from the 9/11 victims, is giving this Admin failing grades.

If we can examine cargo at the Baghdad Airport, what about the Boston, and New York and Los Angeles airport?

Five principles that demand action

1.Redeploy from Iraq for success
2.Recommit to Afghanistan
3.Reduce our dependence on foreign oil
4.Reinforce our homeland defense
5.Restore America's moral leadership in the world.

This is the Democratic agenda and one that the Republicans have resisted.

[ProSense]

35. Excellent, and it works well to

to point out:

Redeploy from Iraq for success, Republicans resist

Recommit to Afghanistan, Republicans resist

Reduce our dependence on foreign oil, Republicans resist

Reinforce our homeland defense, Republicans resist

Restore America's moral leadership in the world, Republicans resist

[fedupinBushcountry]

24. Why are Repubs not doing a better job on HS and Iraq

more:

The Repubs have a 'stand still and lose' policy in Iraq. Kerry is going throug his point that we need to set a deadline so that the Iraqis will have to step up and be responsible for their own country.

It is long overdue for the President to understand that no American should be sacrificed because Iraqis will not take responsibility for their own security and actions.

Kerry is again talking about a deadline, as he did in this hall back in April. Make Iraqis stand up for Iraq and bring our heroes home!

Standing O!

[fedupinBushcountry]

25. Diplomacy: We need a Dayton like summit

Our own Gens have said that Iraq cannot be solved militarily. We hve to do this politically with diplomacy.

Staying the course isn't far-sighted, it's blind.

Half of the service members on the Vietnam War died after we knew the policy wouldn't work. It was immoral then and would be immoral now to engage in the same delusion. (I love that line.)

Bush said we are on the offensive against the Taliban in Afghan, even though Gens on the ground said we needed more troops.

The recent airline plot was launched by Al Qaeda and we have not done enough to stop attacks like this.

Kerry went through alist of what we need to do to actually strengthen the forces that should be going after terrorists, not waging war in Iraq.

[CarlVK]

46. we coulda used this in '04

[fedupinBushcountry]

27. We are not just threatened by gun barrels

we are threatened by oil barrels. Nice line.

Kerry gave a speech in June here about US dependence on foreign oil and the price we pay for that in lives, in treasure and in our security.

Kerry repeated a line today from that speech today: We must end the 'empire of oil.'

We need alternative fuels, we must reverse the tide of climate change. We have to invest in new technologies that imprison the US in dependence on tyrranical and hostile foreign regimes.

[fedupinBushcountry]

28. Implement the 9/11 commission

recommendations. We have failed to do that. The Pres said we have to reinforce our 'weak points.' Ahm, there are so many weak points and so many ways in which this Admin is diverting funds away from our 'weak points.'

Katrina showed that we can't even deal with a disaster that we knew a week in advance was coming, nevermind dealing with a catastrophic event that we have no warning on.

Bush has cut funds, coincidentally most of which are in the Blue States, not the Red States. What should count here is the 9/11 Commissions list of sites, not the RNC list of sights to target for the midterms.

[fedupinBushcountry]

29. The Domestic Agenda to protect America

We have to put real money into the actual agencies that are working to defend America. There are real proposals put forward by sensible Dems and sensible Repubs, but these initiatives are being held up by extreme RWers.

The CIa must reconstitute the group hunting for bin Laden. "If they weren't looking for bin Laden, maybe nobody would notice we weren't fighting him."

[ProSense]

34. More

from LevensonK's post:

America needs a national policy that understands we are not just threatened by gun barrels but by oil barrels. Greatest treasury of jihadist terrorism is mideast oil. We fund both sides of the war on terror every time we fill up the gas tank. We must liberate the middle east itself, not just us, from the tyranny of dependence on petroleum so that the region no longer feeds restive and rising polulations of unemployed young people a diet of illusions and rationalizations paid for by our oil money.

Need energy independence to not be used as a mere slogan, but a solution.
New policies to promote alternative fuel.
Essential to reverse global climate change
develop clean energy
liberate our country from the bondage to tyrannical hostile and unstable regimes.

(reiterating his energy independence plan from June)

WE must reinforce homeland defense - start with fully implementing the 9/11 commission's recommendations

Bush said last week that bin laden and the terrorists plan to target America's weak points. Our weak points - borders, chem plants, railways. are weak because this admin has the wrong priorities.
Taxcuts for the wealthiest Americans are taking from homeland security. What we have today from this WH is a pretense of national security on the cheap, and it must end.

[fedupinBushcountry]

30. WE NEED AMERICA TO BE AMERICA AGAIN

We have to restate our American values and not let that commitment to those values be lost in voices of fear.

We need allies, "Even the most powerful nation on the planet, needs to make some friends." Standing O!

[kerrygoddess]

45. Love the need to make some friends line.

:kick:

[fedupinBushcountry]

31. Diplomacy is KEY

We can't do this alone. Kerry quotes the other JFK from Boston, "We must never fear to negotiate, but we must never negotiate out of fear."

Bush needs to send a real team to North Korea to talk to the Koreans. (Line about Syria as well.)

Only this week did the Admin swear to uphold and keep the Geneva Convention.

"No American Presdient should be For Torture, Before he is against it." Standing O!

[fedupinBushcountry]

33. Wrapping Up

No lying, we should not reward lying and incompetence with Medals of Freedom.

Restore our credibility in the world by pursuing a lsting pece in the ME.

Let's have a real debate about real issues. Repubs and Dems have a real accountability moment coming and it is what we need to do.

Let the people see what has been done and let the people decide.

[ProSense]

37. Great speech! n/t

[IDemo]

32. "And be forewarned:"

- "don’t be surprised if they hype the Iranian nuclear crisis come October if all other appeals to fear are failing as the mid-term election approaches."

Surprised? Me?

[blm]

40. This is a good tactic - EXPOSE the fearmongering as WH campaign strategy.

.

[fedupinBushcountry]

36. Thanks to our DU TayTay

you did a great live blog. :applause: :thumbsup:

[blm]

41. Deep appreciation to our DU members liveblogging.

.

[kerrygoddess]

38. Expanded version of Kerry's 5 Points

John Kerry: Five Priorities for Keeping America Secure

[ProSense]

42. Excellent! Thanks! n/t

[Democrafty]

39. k&r

[DemReadingDU]

43. K&R

[kerrygoddess]

44. Photos

[BigBearJohn]

47. AT LONG LAST - a democratic senator says what REALLY needs to be said

THE TRUTH, DAMN IT, THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!

NO HOLDS BARRED
THE UNADULTERATED
IN-YOUR-FACE
TRUTH

HIP HIP HORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY