For those of you still wondering whether Senator Byrd is a conservative or liberal, his vote to cut-and-run in Iraq should remove all doubt.
Byrd joined his liberal buddies in voting for a resolution amendment written by Senator John Kerry to remove a majority of the U.S. forces in Iraq by the end of this year. The resolution amendment was so extreme, so left-wing that only 5 of his liberal senate friends dared support it:
* John Kerry
* Edward Kennedy
* Russ Feingold
* Tom Harkin
* Barbara Boxer
Even Hillary Clinton voted against it along with the other 92 senators.
Another resolution, sponsored by Kerry, said the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Iraq should start by the end of 2006 and be finished by July 2007. The resolution was a compromise, if you can call the middle between insanity and inanity a compromise.
Byrd was obviously unhappy with leaving as late as July 2007 and voted against the resolution.
Whether you think we were there for oil, Haliburton, freeing a country, settling a family feud, fighting terrorists, or because Bush is an evil dictator, our soldiers are in the thick of it. Cutting and running is not the solution. We must finish the job.
Our troops have given their lives, their living and years away from their family and country toward freedom for the Iraqi people. A change of heart for a nation so young would be nothing less than devastating. It is a new day in Iraq. Democracy flourishes thanks to our soldiers who have done their job.
The liberals keep blustering about how the Iraq war is like the Vietnam War, but if they continue to run the war from their senate desks, they will soon be right.
- Add your comments (9 so far)
© Copyright 1999-2007 William Stewart. All rights reserved.
Comments
Which resolution are you talking about … as a regular reader of the Congresional Record I found no such vote. On the Kerry Amendment 4442 Byrd voted NAY.
William, what does “finish the job” mean, specifically?
Will, I knew that Sen. Byrd was a liberal friend a long time ago when he went nuts at the MoveOn.org rally…
JA: The word “resolution” in paragraph two are typos. It should read “amendment.” I have updated the article, as you can see.
As I understand it, Kerry wrote an amendment and threatened to attach it to a bill. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called his bluff and introduced the amendment for him. The roll call vote can be found here.
Raging Red: Methinks you are looking for a fight, but here goes nothing. “Finish the job” means do what we started out to do: ouster Saddam and help establish whatever form of government the Iraqis want. We have accomplished the first and are working on the second.
I’m not looking for a fight. Honest. I just think that this is the crux of the entire debate about the current situation in Iraq. I wholeheartedly opposed the war, but yes, we are there, and I do believe we now have a responsibility to the Iraqi people. However, all I hear Republicans saying are things like “stay the course” and “finish the job” with no specifics as to what that really means. Unfortunately, Republicans don’t want to have an honest debate about what we should do. They shut down any and all debate by maligning Democrats who suggest a plan for getting out of there - by incorrectly labeling them “cut and runners” who don’t support the troops, don’t care about terrorism, and all but accusing them of being traitors (or outright calling them traitors in some cases). That’s offensive.
The situation in Iraq is still very unstable, and it doesn’t appear that that’s going to change any time soon. We can’t be there forever. Americans don’t want that. Why can’t Republicans engage in a real conversation about the best course of action? As I said, “stay the course” and “finish the job” are just buzzwords, not real plans. You used those words, so I was just honestly asking what they mean to you.
William Stewart: Thank you for the clarification. The Democrats are not providing any clear alternatives. While our President understands the implications of a democratic government (other than Israel) in the Middle East in the comming 5, 10, 50 years, Democrats insist on politicalization of the efforts with a vision no more distant than the next election cycle.
Think about this if you don’t like the war!!
JOHN GLENN SAID
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU THINK A LITTLE:
THERE WERE 39 COMBAT RELATED KILLINGS IN IRAQ IN JANUARY.
IN THE FAIR CITY OF DETROIT THERE WERE 35 MURDERS IN THE
MONTH OF JANUARY. AND THAT’S JUST ONE AMERICAN CITY -
ABOUT AS DEADLY AS THE ENTIRE WAR-TORN COUNTRY OF IRAQ.
WHEN SOME CLAIM THAT PRESIDENT BUSH SHOULDN’T
HAVE STARTED THIS WAR, STATE THE FOLLOWING:
A. FDR LED US INTO WORLD WAR II.
B. GERMANY NEVER ATTACKED US; JAPAN DID.
FROM 1941-1945, 450,000 LIVES WERE LOST ..
AN AVERAGE OF 112,500 PER YEAR.
C. TRUMAN FINISHED THAT WAR AND STARTED ONE IN KOREA.
NORTH KOREA NEVER ATTACKED US.
FROM 1950-1953, 55,000 LIVES WERE LOST ..
AN AVERAGE OF 18,334 PER YEAR.
D JOHN F. KENNEDY STARTED THE VIETNAM CONFLICT IN 1962.
VIETNAM NEVER ATTACKED US.
E. JOHNSON TURNED VIETNAM INTO A QUAGMIRE.
FROM 1965-1975, 58,000 LIVES WERE LOST .
AN AVERAGE OF 5,800 PER YEAR.
F. CLINTON WENT TO WAR IN BOSNIA WITHOUT UN OR FRENCH
CONSENT
BOSNIA NEVER ATTACKED US.
HE WAS OFFERED OSAMA BIN LADEN’S HEAD ON A
PLATTER THREE TIMES BY SUDAN AND DID NOTHING.
OSAMA HAS ATTACKED US ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS.
G. IN THE YEARS SINCE TERRORISTS ATTACKED US ,
PRESIDENT BUSH HAS LIBERATED TWO COUNTRIES,
CRUSHED THE TALIBAN, CRIPPLED AL-QAIDA, PUT
NUCLEAR INSPECTORS IN LIBYA, IRAN, AND, NORTH
KOREA WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT, AND CAPTURED A
TERRORIST WHO SLAUGHTERED 300,000 OF HIS OWN
PEOPLE.
THE DEMOCRATS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW LONG THE WAR IS TAKING. BUT IT TOOK LESS TIME TO TAKE IRAQ THAN IT TOOK JANET RENO TO TAKE THE BRANCH DAVIDIAN COMPOUND.
THAT WAS A 51-DAY OPERATION. WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN IRAQ FOR LESS TIME THAN IT TOOK HILLARY CLINTON TO FIND THE ROSE LAW FIRM BILLING RECORDS.
IT TOOK LESS TIME FOR THE 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION AND THE
MARINES TO DESTROY THE MEDINA REPUBLICAN GUARD
THAN IT TOOK TED KENNEDY TO CALL THE POLICE AFTER HIS
OLDSMOBILE SANK AT CHAPPAQUIDDICK.
IT TOOK LESS TIME TO TAKE IRAQ THAN IT TOOK TO COUNT THE VOTES IN FLORIDA!!!!
OUR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IS DOING A GREAT JOB!
THE MILITARY MORALE IS HIGH!
THE BIASED MEDIA HOPES WE ARE TOO IGNORANT TO REALIZE THE FACTS.
BUT WAIT.
THERE’S MORE!
JOHN GLENN (ON THE SENATE FLOOR)
MON, 26 JAN 2004 11:13
SOME PEOPLE STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY MILITARY PERSONNEL DO WHAT THEY DO FOR A LIVING. THIS EXCHANGE BETWEEN SENATORS JOHN GLENN AND SENATOR HOWARD METZENBAUM IS WORTH READING. NOT ONLY IS IT A PRETTY IMPRESSIVE IMPROMPTU SPEECH, BUT IT’S ALSO A GOOD EXAMPLE OF ONE MAN’S EXPLANATION OF WHY MEN AND WOMEN IN THE ARMED SERVICES DO WHAT THEY DO FOR A LIVING.
THIS IS A TYPICAL, THOUGH SAD, EXAMPLE OF WHAT
SOME WHO HAVE NEVER SERVED THINK OF THE MILITARY.
SENATOR METZENBAUM (SPEAKING TO SENATOR GLENN):
“HOW CAN YOU RUN FOR SENATE WHEN YOU’VE NEVER HELD A REAL JOB?”
SENATOR GLENN (D-OHIO):
“I SERVED 23 YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS.
I SERVED THROUGH TWO WARS. I FLEW 149 MISSIONS.
MY PLANE WAS HIT BY ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE ON 12 DIFFERENT
OCCASIONS. I WAS IN THE SPACE PROGRAM. IT WASN’T MY
CHECKBOOK, HOWARD; IT WAS MY LIFE ON THE LINE. IT WAS
NOT A NINE-TO-FIVE JOB, WHERE I TOOK TIME OFF TO TAKE THE
DAILY CASH RECEIPTS TO THE BANK.”
“I ASK YOU TO GO WITH ME … AS I WENT THE OTHER DAY…
TO A VETERAN’S HOSPITAL AND LOOK THOSE MEN …
WITH THEIR MANGLED BODIES IN THE EYE, AND TELL THEM
THEY DIDN’T HOLD A JOB!
YOU GO WITH ME TO THE SPACE PROGRAM AT NASA
AND GO, AS I HAVE GONE, TO THE WIDOWS AND ORPHANS
OF ED WHITE, GUS GRISSOM AND ROGER CHAFFEE…
AND YOU LOOK THOSE KIDS IN THE EYE AND TELL THEM
THAT THEIR DADS DIDN’T HOLD A JOB.
YOU GO WITH ME ON MEMORIAL DAY AND YOU STAND IN
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, WHERE I HAVE MORE FRIENDS
BURIED THAN I’D LIKE TO REMEMBER, AND YOU WATCH
THOSE WAVING FLAGS.
YOU STAND THERE, AND YOU THINK ABOUT THIS NATION,
AND YOU TELL ME THAT THOSE PEOPLE DIDN’T HAVE A JOB?
WHAT ABOUT YOU?”
FOR THOSE WHO DON’T REMEMBER .
DURING W.W.II, HOWARD METZENBAUM WAS AN ATTORNEY
REPRESENTING THE COMMUNIST PARTY IN THE USA.
NOW HE’S A SENATOR!
Raging Red: Sorry for thinking ill of you. Yes, Republicans have not been clear on what “stay the course” means. In all fairness, I do not think many — Republican and Democrat — know what the future holds.
We are in such new waters. The terrorists and insurgents are fight a different war than our European opponents. In WWII it was clear: you fight until the other side surrenders or is rendered incapacitated.
So where’s the end? I hope it is once Iraq is stabilized.
I agree that the demagoguery must end. Liberals are trying to set a hard date (that will not work) and embarrass Bush or anyone associated with him while conservatives try to one up each other on which adjectives to call the liberals next.
Again, sorry for thinking you wanted to fight. I’ve been a little gun-shy lately.
The amendment that Byrd voted for approved of the withdraw of troops, but DID NOT set a date for the withdraw. He voted AGAINST another amendement which called for IMMEDIATE withraw. I’m a republican, and though I cant say that I agree with the Senior Senator on all issues, I give this delightful man my wqholehearted support.