Posted on 08/11/2004 11:57:17 AM PDT by Earl B.
The Kerry/Cambodia speech in the Senate was apparently made on March 27th, 1986.
Is there video of the speech? If so, it would likely be DEVASTATING to the Kerry campaign. So I started wondering: How old is C-SPAN?
It turns out they are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year - they've been broadcasting since 1979!
But, looking at this page of C-SPAN milestones, I would imagine it unlikely that Senator Kerry's searing speech was picked up on C-SPAN.
It seems that Senate coverage by C-SPAN didn't begin until June of 1986. And even if C-SPAN did cover it, I have no idea if they archive everything they broadcast. That would be a lot of videotape to store.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1189380/posts?page=18#18
another freeper has the official published book with his comments
On a side note here, I just listened to a moron caller tell rush that John O'Niell is "ineffectual" because he "admitted" that Kerry pulled Rassman out of the water. Nobody disputes that Kerry helped Rassman into the boat. The controversy is over whether or not there was enemy fire.
It's probably been destroyed by Lamb by now.
The C-SPAN archives are located at Perdue Univ. It was started in Sep 1987, according to the C-SPAN milestones.
They might have the original Senate floor statement on video before it was revised for printing in the record.
I do beleive that C-SPAN is completely archived.
Based of the biased nature of Cspan with its seminar callers and 100% 'RAT moderators, I wouldn't expect them to admit finding this tape, even it they had it. Their programming became unwatchable when they added the politically correct phone lines while BC was running as President. I not only refuse to ever watch them, I used their support for CSPAN as the reason for my droppiing cable a few months ago.
I watched this speech in 1986 as it was a pivotal debate in the war over Nicaragua. I e-mailed C-SPAN early last week to ask about whether they have this available and requested they play it on their Road to the White House show or to let me know if I could purchase a video of it. I got back the standard "we're very busy and will read your e-mail but probably won't be able to get back to you" e-mail response. Since then I've received nothing further.
During those days C-SPAN was largely frequented by conservatives as it was the only avenue available at the time and was the choice forum for Republicans to use in their one hour speeches (ultimately resulting in then House Speaker Jim Wright ordering the cameras pan the otherwise empty chamber to "reveal" those evil pubbies were speaking to viewers at home and not the house as a whole)
the further conflict is whether Rassman was on Kerry's boat or not - in prior recantations Kerry claimed he was on another boat and then saved by his; in this week's wall st. journal article the story changed and now Rassman is admitting he was always in Kerry's boat, just like the Swifties charged.
Sandy Burglar was just seen emerging from the C-SPAN archives looking like the Michelin man.
Television cameras were not allowed in the Senate Chambers until July of 1986. From a website on TV history...
Television from the U.S. Senate chambers would have to wait still longer. Although a number of senators supported the idea of Senate television, a powerful block opposed it. Senate television opponents saw cameras as disruptive to Senate decorum and unable to present a favorable image of Senate debate to the American public. Senate television proponents nonetheless prevailed, and a Senate Rules Committee recommendation to allow testing of a Senate chamber television system was approved by a vote of 67-to-21 on 27 February 1986. The tests were satisfactory enough to convince members of the Senate to vote on 29 July 1986, to allow gavel-to-gavel coverage of Senate floor proceedings.
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