[A-List] Iraq: A US Senator Speaks

["annewilliamson" <annewilliamson@xxxxxxx>]

>Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences
>by US Senator Robert Byrd
>Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003
>
>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 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. 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.
>
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