[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 6, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5763-S5764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           A TROUBLING SPEECH

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, in my 50 years as a Member of Congress, I 
have had the privilege to witness the defining rhetorical moments of a 
number of American Presidents. I have listened spellbound to the 
soaring oratory of John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. I have listened 
grimly to the painful soul-searching of Lyndon Johnson and Richard 
Nixon.
  Presidential speeches are an important marker of any President's 
legacy. These are the tangible moments that history seizes upon and 
records for posterity. For this reason, I was deeply troubled by both 
the content and the context of President Bush's remarks to the American 
people last week marking the end of the combat phase of the war in 
Iraq. As I watched the President's fighter jet swoop down onto the deck 
of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, I could not help but contrast 
the reported simple dignity of President Lincoln at Gettysburg with the

[[Page S5764]]

flamboyant showmanship of President Bush aboard the USS Abraham 
Lincoln.
  President Bush's address to the American people announcing combat 
victory in Iraq deserved to be marked with solemnity, not extravagance; 
with gratitude to God, not self-congratulatory gestures. American blood 
has been shed on foreign soil in defense of the President's policies. 
This is not some made-for-TV backdrop for a campaign commercial. This 
is real life, and real lives have been lost. To me, it is an affront to 
the Americans killed or injured in Iraq for the President to exploit 
the trappings of war for the momentary spectacle of a speech. I do not 
begrudge his salute to America's warriors aboard the carrier Lincoln, 
for they have performed bravely and skillfully, as have their 
countrymen still in Iraq, but I do question the motives of a deskbound 
President who assumes the garb of a warrior for the purposes of a 
speech.
  As I watched the President's speech before the great banner 
proclaiming ``Mission Accomplished,'' I could not help but be reminded 
of the tobacco barns of my youth, which served as country road 
advertising backdrops for the slogans of chewing tobacco purveyors. I 
am loath to think of an aircraft carrier being used as an advertising 
backdrop for a Presidential political slogan, and yet that is what I 
saw.
  What I heard the President say also disturbed me. It may make for 
grand theater to describe Saddam Hussein as an ally of al-Qaida or to 
characterize the fall of Baghdad as a victory in the war on terror, but 
stirring rhetoric does not necessarily reflect sobering reality. Not 
one of the 19 September 11th hijackers was an Iraqi. In fact, there is 
not a shred of evidence to link the September 11 attack--at least as of 
this date--on the United States to Iraq. There is no doubt in my mind 
that Saddam Hussein was an evil despot who brought great suffering to 
the Iraqi people, and there is no doubt in my mind that he encouraged 
and rewarded acts of terrorism against Israel. But his crimes are not 
those of Osama bin Laden, and bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will 
not bring justice to the victims of 9/11. The United States has made 
great progress in its efforts to disrupt and destroy the al-Qaida 
terror network. We can take solace and satisfaction in that fact. We 
should not risk tarnishing those very real accomplishments by 
trumpeting victory in Iraq as a victory over Osama bin Laden.
  We are reminded in the gospel of Saint Luke, ``For unto whomsoever 
much is given, of him shall be much required.'' Surely the same can be 
said of any American President. We expect--nay, demand--that our 
leaders be scrupulous in the truth and faithful to the facts. We do not 
seek theatrics or hyperbole. We do not require the stage management of 
our victories. The men and women of the United States military are to 
be saluted for their valor and sacrifice in Iraq. Their heroics and 
quiet resolve speak for themselves. The prowess and professionalism of 
America's military forces do not need to be embellished by the gaudy 
excesses of a political campaign.
  War is not theater, and victory is not a campaign slogan. I join with 
the President and all Americans in expressing heartfelt thanks and 
gratitude to our men and women in uniform for their service to our 
country, and for the sacrifices that they have made on our behalf. But 
on this point I differ with the President: I believe that our military 
forces deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and not used as 
stage props to embellish a Presidential speech.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Chafee). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

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