This is the text of a speech by West Virginia’s Democratic Senator Robert Byrd on Iraq.
In the words of Sydney Morning Herald columnist Alan Ramsey, the speech shows that, by comparison, Australia has “pygmies” for politicians.
Senator Byrd has been a senator since 1958.
Speech by Senator Robert Byrd (Democrat-West Virginia).
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.