Senate Remarks: Making the Military a Stage Prop for Politics

Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)

Audio:http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_newsroom/byrd_audio/byrd_audio.html

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 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 Qaeda 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 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 Qaeda 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.