Posted on 17-2-2003
US
Senator Byrd Warning Against War
By Paul J. Nyden, Charleston Gazette Online, Thursday 13 February
2003
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., had harsh words Wednesday for
the "haunting
silence'' of the U.S. Senate in the face of a possible war with
Iraq.
"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 percent
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,'' Byrd said.
Byrd, the Senate's most senior member, has served longer than
all but three
senators in U.S. history.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., compared Byrd's recent role
to that of
Winston Churchill in England during World War II. "He has taken
leadership
in the Senate, time and time and time again, to warn us of the
looming
crisis. Thank you for your leadership,'' Durbin said. "To contemplate
war
is to think about the most horrible of human experiences,''
Byrd said. "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,'' "Only
on the
editorial pages of some of our newspapers is there much substantive
discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this
particular war.''
Reflecting on the Senate's own founders, Byrd asked, "What would
Alexander
Hamilton say about the silence in this chamber? What would Dr.
Samuel
Johnson of Connecticut say? What would Benjamin Franklin say
about the
silence that emanates from this chamber on the great issue of
war and
peace?'' Byrd specifically questioned the Bush administration
doctrine of
pre-emptive strikes. "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. "The doctrine of pre-emption --
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.''
Byrd said Bush's foreign policy may be in "contravention'' of
international
law and the United Nations charter. Noting the U.S. has spent
$37 billion
in Afghanistan and failed to capture Osama bin Laden, Byrd warned
a war
against Iraq war will weaken efforts to fight terrorism. "The
alarming
rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once-solid global
alliance
against terrorism that existed after Sept. 11,'' Byrd said.
"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?''
Byrd said the nation's mood is grim, as people worry about loved
ones
fighting abroad, a stumbling economy and rising fuel prices.
Byrd said
Bush's policies call "into question the traditional 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.''
Byrd warned about dire consequences for nations like Pakistan,
Jordan and
Saudi Arabia, whose moderate governments could collapse in the
wake of an
attack on Iraq. "Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting
in
devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its
own nuclear
arsenal? The genie is being released from its bottle. Will it
ever get
back?'' Byrd asked. "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 ... 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.... "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,'' Byrd said.
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