Statement
by US Senator Robert Byrd,
Senate Floor Speech
"To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible
of human experiences.
On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink
of battle, every
American on some level must be contemplating the horrors
of war.
Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously,
dreadfully
silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to
lay out for the
nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is
nothing.
We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed
by our own
uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of
events. Only on the
editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive
discussion of the
prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.
And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This
is no simple attempt
to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes,
represents a
turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning
point in the
recent history of the world. This
nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary
doctrine applied in an
extraordinary way at an unfortunate
time. The doctrine
of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other
nation can
legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening
but may be
threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the
traditional idea
of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international
law and
the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide
terrorism,
making many countries around the globe wonder if they will
soon be on our --
or some other nation's -- hit list. High level Administration
figures
recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table
when discussing a
possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing
and unwise
than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where
globalism has
tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations
so closely
together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored
alliances, and
U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide
speculation.
Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion,
and alarming
rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance
against
global terrorism which existed after September 11.
Here at home, people are warned of imminent
terrorist attacks with little
guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family
members are
being called to active military duty, with no idea of the
duration of their
stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being
left with less than
adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services
are also
short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy
is stumbling. Fuel
prices are rising and may soon spike higher.
This Administration, now in power for
a little over two years, must be judged
on its record. I believe that that record is dismal.
In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered
a large projected
surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken
us to projected
deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's
domestic policy has
put many of our states in dire financial condition, under
funding scores of
essential programs for our people. This Administration has
fostered policies
which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has
ignored urgent
matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly.
This
Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding
for homeland
security. This Administration has been reluctant to better
protect our long
and porous borders.
In foreign policy, this Administration
has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In
fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his
forces and urging
them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances,
possibly
crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities
like the United
Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question
the trad
itional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned,
peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art
of diplomacy into
threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects
quite poorly on
the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which
will have
consequences for years to come.
Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling
whole countries as evil, denigrating
powerful European allies as irrelevant -- these types of
crude
insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have
massive military
might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone.
We need the
cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as
well as the newer
found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome
military
machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating
attack on our
homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military
manpower is already
stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of
those nations who
can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering
us on.
The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet
there is evidence
that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold
in that region. We
have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace
in Afghanistan, the
dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote
and devastated
land.
Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing
forces. This Administration has
not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is
eager to embark on
another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan.
Is our
attention span that short? Have we not learned that after
winning the war one
must always secure the peace?
And yet we hear little about the aftermath
of war in Iraq. In the absence of
plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil
fields, becoming
an occupying power which controls the price and supply of
that nation's oil
for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand
the reigns of power
after Saddam Hussein?
Will our war inflame the Muslim world
resulting in devastating attacks on
Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal?
Will the
Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals,
bolstered by
Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?
Could a disruption of the world's oil
supply lead to a world-wide recession?
Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous
disregard of the
interests and opinions of other nations increased the global
race to join the
nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative
practice for
nations which need the income? In only the space of two short
years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated
policies
which may reap disastrous
consequences
for years.
One can understand the anger and shock
of any President after the savage
attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration
of having only a
shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which
it is nearly
impossible to exact retribution.
But to turn one's frustration and anger
into the kind of extremely
destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the
world is
currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration
charged with the
awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of
the greatest
superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements
made by this
Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.
Yet
this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the
eve of
horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population
of the nation
of Iraq -- a population, I might add, of which over 50% is
under age 15 --
this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before
we send
thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors
of chemical and
biological warfare -- this chamber is silent. On the eve
of what could
possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for
our attack on Iraq,
it is business as usual in the United States Senate.
We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In
my heart of hearts I pray
that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens
are not in for a
rudest of awakenings.
To engage in war is always to pick a
wild card. And war must always be a last
resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment
of any
President who can say that a massive unprovoked military
attack on a nation
which is over 50% children is "in the highest moral
traditions of our
country". This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure
appears to be
having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves
in a corner so
quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out
of a box of our own
making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time. Bob
Knisely
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