John McCain's rebuttal to Sr. Byrd's comments

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Sean C. Sheridan" <scs () CampusClients com>
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 14:05:51 -0500
To: dave () farber net
Subject: John McCain's rebuttal to Sr. Byrd's comments

Dave, for IP



Immediately after Senator Byrd's speech Senator McCain responded as follows:

"But to allege that somehow the United States of America has demeaned
itself or tarnished its reputation by being involved in liberating the
people of Iraq , to me, simply is neither factual nor fair."
                - Senator John McCain



Wednesday, Mar 19, 2003          Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I ask
unanimous consent to use time under the resolution.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I observed the comments of the
distinguished Senator from West Virginia concerning the events which are
about to transpire within the next hour or so, or days. I did not really
look forward to coming to the floor and debating the issue. It has been
debated. It has been discussed in the media. It has been discussed at
every kitchen table in America. But I felt it would be important for me
to respond to allegations concerning the United States of America, its
status in the world, and, in particular, what happens after this
conflict is over, which I do not think we have paid enough attention to,
perhaps understandably, because our first and foremost consideration is
the welfare of the young men and women we are sending in harm's way.
But to allege that somehow the United States of America has demeaned
itself or tarnished its reputation by being involved in liberating the
people of Iraq , to me, simply is neither factual nor fair.

The United States of America has involved itself in the effort to disarm
Saddam Hussein, and now freedom for the Iraqi people, with the same
principles that motivated the United States of America in most of the
conflicts we have been involved in, most recently Kosovo and Bosnia, and
in which, in both of those cases, the United States national security
was not at risk, but what was at risk was our advocacy and willingness
to serve and sacrifice on behalf of people who are the victims of
oppression and genocide.

We did not go into Bosnia because Mr. Milosevic had weapons of mass
destruction. We did not go into Kosovo because ethnic Albanians or
others were somehow a threat to the security of the United States. We
entered into those conflicts because we could not stand by and watch
innocent men, women, and children being slaughtered, raped, and
``ethnically cleansed.'' We found a new phrase for our lexicon: ``ethnic
cleansing.'' Ethnic cleansing is a phrase which has incredible implications.

The mission our military is about to embark on is fraught with danger,
and it means the loss of brave young American lives. But I also believe
it offers the opportunity for a new day for the Iraqi people.

Madam President, there is one thing I am sure of, that we will find the
Iraqi people have been the victims of an incredible level of
brutalization, terror, murder, and every other kind of disgraceful and
distasteful oppression on the part of Saddam Hussein's regime. And
contrary to the assertion of the Senator from West Virginia, when the
people of Iraq are liberated, we will again have written another chapter
in the glorious history of the United States of America, that we will
fight for the freedom of other citizens of the world, and we again
assert the most glorious phrase, in my view, ever written in the English
language; and that is: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness.

The people of Iraq , for the first time, will be able to realize those
inalienable rights. I am proud of the United States of America. I am
proud of the leadership of the President of the United States.

It is not an easy decision to send America's young men and women into
harm's way. As I said before, some of them will not be returning. But to
somehow assert, as some do, that the people of Iraq and the Middle East
are not entitled to those same God-given rights that Americans and
people all over the country are, that they do not have those same hopes
and dreams and aspirations our own citizens do, to me, is a degree of
condescension. I might even use stronger language than that to describe it.

So I respectfully disagree with the remarks of the Senator from West
Virginia. I believe the President of the United States has done
everything necessary and has exercised every option short of war, which
has led us to the point we are today.

I believe that, obviously, we will remove a threat to America's national
security because we will find there are still massive amounts of weapons
of mass destruction in Iraq .

Although Theodore Roosevelt is my hero and role model, I also, in many
ways, am Wilsonian in the respect that America, this great Nation of
ours, will again contribute to the freedom and liberty of an oppressed
people who otherwise never might enjoy those freedoms.

So perhaps the Senator from West Virginia is right. I do not think so.
Events will prove one of us correct in the next few days. But I rely on
history as my guide to the future, and history shows us, unequivocally,
that this Nation has stood for freedom and democracy, even at the risk
and loss of American lives, so that all might enjoy the same privileges
or have the opportunity to someday enjoy the same privileges as we do in
this noble experiment called the United States of America.

I yield the floor.


###



Sean C. Sheridan
scs () CampusClients com
(215) 320-1810

Campus Party, Inc.
201 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123




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