Simply breathtaking
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, took the House floor Wednesday and delivered the best-reasoned, most scathing critique of the Bush administration's Iraq policy that I've ever seen or heard. It's tough to pick just a few lines to quote, because the whole speech is filled with gems, but here are some highlights:
"[C]onceding that the world is better off without Saddam Hussein is a far cry from endorsing the foreign policy of our own government that led to the regime change. ... The real question ought to be: 'Are we better off with a foreign policy that promotes regime change while justifying war with false information?' ...
"But there's another question that is equally important: 'Are the American people better off because of the Iraq war?'
"One thing for sure, the 1,500-plus dead American soldiers aren't better off. The nearly 20,000 severely injured or sickened American troops are not better off. The families, the wives, the husbands, children, parents, and friends of those who lost so much are not better off.
"The families and the 40,000 troops who were forced to re-enlist against their will -- a de facto draft -- are not feeling better off. ...
"The American taxpayers are not better off having spent over $200 billion to pursue this war, with billions yet to be spent. ...
"We have lost our way by rejecting the beliefs that made our country great. We no longer trust in trade, friendship, peace, the Constitution, and the principle of neutrality while avoiding entangling alliances with the rest of the world. Spreading the message of hope and freedom by setting an example for the world has been replaced by a belief that use of armed might is the only practical tool to influence the world -- and we have accepted, as the only superpower, the principle of initiating war against others."
Remember, these words didn't come from an angry Democrat or an embittered liberal; they came from a member of Bush's own party from Bush's home state. Read the whole speech and see if you still can back this administration's foreign policy afterward.
"[C]onceding that the world is better off without Saddam Hussein is a far cry from endorsing the foreign policy of our own government that led to the regime change. ... The real question ought to be: 'Are we better off with a foreign policy that promotes regime change while justifying war with false information?' ...
"But there's another question that is equally important: 'Are the American people better off because of the Iraq war?'
"One thing for sure, the 1,500-plus dead American soldiers aren't better off. The nearly 20,000 severely injured or sickened American troops are not better off. The families, the wives, the husbands, children, parents, and friends of those who lost so much are not better off.
"The families and the 40,000 troops who were forced to re-enlist against their will -- a de facto draft -- are not feeling better off. ...
"The American taxpayers are not better off having spent over $200 billion to pursue this war, with billions yet to be spent. ...
"We have lost our way by rejecting the beliefs that made our country great. We no longer trust in trade, friendship, peace, the Constitution, and the principle of neutrality while avoiding entangling alliances with the rest of the world. Spreading the message of hope and freedom by setting an example for the world has been replaced by a belief that use of armed might is the only practical tool to influence the world -- and we have accepted, as the only superpower, the principle of initiating war against others."
Remember, these words didn't come from an angry Democrat or an embittered liberal; they came from a member of Bush's own party from Bush's home state. Read the whole speech and see if you still can back this administration's foreign policy afterward.
posted by Alabamian at 5:55 PM
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