Here is the statement from Robert Byrd that Mike was referring to.
Ben
>t r u t h o u t | Statement
>by US Senator Robert Byrd
>Senate Floor Speech
>
>We Stand Passively Mute
>
>Wednesday 12 February 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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