Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) gave a great speech yesterday that is sure to be passed over in the media, which will probably continue to bring in the hired talking heads to bark against France. This path to war, and this administration, frightens me. We're going, whether we want to or not. That's the feeling one gets from Washington. It sure makes you feel all warm and fuzzy about democracy right? We have a leader whose elected status is dubious at best (which would also be the case if Al Gore was in the white house) taking near absolute power in the matters of warfare against a "possible" enemy. And all this time, there seem to be few other leaders with the balls to speak out against Mr. Bush's policies.
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. [US Senator Robert Byrd, "Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences", Senate Floor Speech Feb 12 2003]