Posted on 05/26/2004 12:44:32 PM PDT by Nasty McPhilthy
Remarks by Al Gore May 26, 2004 As Prepared George W. Bush promised us a foreign policy with humility. Instead, he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world.
He promised to "restore honor and integrity to the White House." Instead, he has brought deep dishonor to our country and built a durable reputation as the most dishonest President since Richard Nixon.
Honor? He decided not to honor the Geneva Convention. Just as he would not honor the United Nations, international treaties, the opinions of our allies, the role of Congress and the courts, or what Jefferson described as "a decent respect for the opinion of mankind." He did not honor the advice, experience and judgment of our military leaders in designing his invasion of Iraq. And now he will not honor our fallen dead by attending any funerals or even by permitting photos of their flag-draped coffins.
How did we get from September 12th , 2001, when a leading French newspaper ran a giant headline with the words "We Are All Americans Now" and when we had the good will and empathy of all the world -- to the horror that we all felt in witnessing the pictures of torture in Abu Ghraib.
To begin with, from its earliest days in power, this administration sought to radically destroy the foreign policy consensus that had guided America since the end of World War II. The long successful strategy of containment was abandoned in favor of the new strategy of "preemption." And what they meant by preemption was not the inherent right of any nation to act preemptively against an imminent threat to its national security, but rather an exotic new approach that asserted a unique and unilateral U.S. right to ignore international law wherever it wished to do so and take military action against any nation, even in circumstances where there was no imminent threat. All that is required, in the view of Bush's team is the mere assertion of a possible, future threat - and the assertion need be made by only one person, the President.
More disturbing still was their frequent use of the word "dominance" to describe their strategic goal, because an American policy of dominance is as repugnant to the rest of the world as the ugly dominance of the helpless, naked Iraqi prisoners has been to the American people. Dominance is as dominance does.
Excerpted
In December of 2000, even though I strongly disagreed with the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to order a halt to the counting of legally cast ballots, I saw it as my duty to reaffirm my own strong belief that we are a nation of laws and not only accept the decision, but do what I could to prevent efforts to delegitimize George Bush as he took the oath of office as president.
I did not at that moment imagine that Bush would, in the presidency that ensued, demonstrate utter contempt for the rule of law and work at every turn to frustrate accountability...
Today: May 26, 2004 at 12:11:42 PDT
Gore: Rumsfeld, Rice, Tenet Should Resign
By SARA KUGLER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK (AP) - Al Gore issued a fiery denunciation Wednesday of Bush administration policy in Iraq and demanded the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, CIA director George Tenet and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.
In a speech at New York University, the Democratic former vice president said the situation in Iraq is out of control.
"I am calling today for Republicans as well as Democrats to join me in asking for the immediate resignations of those immediately below George Bush and Dick Cheney, who are most responsible for creating the catastrophe we are facing in Iraq," Gore said, drawing strong applause from the partisan crowd.
"Donald Rumsfeld ought to resign immediately!" Gore bellowed. "Our nation is at risk every single day Rumsfeld remains as secretary of defense. We need someone with good judgment and common sense."
Rice "ought to resign immediately. She has badly mishandled the coordination of national security policy. This is a disaster for our country," he said.
The former presidential candidate was gentler on Tenet, describing him as a friend and "honorable man" who should still leave his position for intelligence failures.
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http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2004/may/26/052607051.html
oh my god, this man has totally come un-glued.
"Consensus" is a DNC synonym for "unilateral". Both mean "Bribe France"
Maybe he's hoping for a role in a future Dem ticket?
Too bad Saturday Night Live's season is over. Darrell Hammond would have had a field day with this one. It is very high on the Unintentional Comedy Scale.
His oil for food check just arrived.Can you imagine this guy by november.
How did we get from September 12th , 2001, when a leading French newspaper ran a giant headline with the words "We Are All Americans Now"
Because, on September 12th 2001, France saw a United States that was bloodied and hurting, and they could relate, having been subjected to large scale evil in their own homeland. They felt a kinship with that.
But after that, we got up, dusted our national self off and systematically began killing the people and regimes that were determined to harm us. When most of the world refused to help, we resolved to do it by ourselves if necessary.
Our reaction to attack subliminally made them hate their own history of sniveling cowardice, which they channeled into resentment and expressed as disdain.
We are foreign to them, and they to us.
I don't feel humiliated.
Anybody here feel humiliated?
What a loon.
This is a send-up, isn't it? Al's unhinged....
How, by returning the bronze bust YOU STOLE ON YOUR WAY OUT?
Aside from the utter insanity of Gore's remarks, once again he has shown he has the political timing of a gnat.
He seems to be assisting the process of his own marginalization.
"Paging Belleview Hospital...send
team with large net for a capture,
backed up by a tranquillizer gun
with large dart supply...STAT!!!"
Aww, he just wanted to be on Hannity's show again. And Sean has complied, it was the first thing I heard on his show today.
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