Posted on 10/18/2004 1:12:58 PM PDT by mondonico
Thank you for posting in full. This speech looks like a lotus bloom opening. WOW! :)
We should all e-mail this transcript to our fence sitting friends.
Thank you! I kept checking the site for the transcript.
Thank you for posting this excellent speech.
PING
Excellent suggestion!
And, was he in Vietnam too???
That's great and accurate. I love how Kerry and Edwards went bezerk over comments Cheney something in regards to whom terrorists would prefer. It really hits home. If people were asked that and actually had to think about it Bush would win in a landslide.
People say Kerry hasn't changed his world view since 9/ll. In fact, it hasn't changed since 1970 when he "testified" before the Senate; US bad, everywhere else, good.
September the 4th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget.
I really hope this is a transcription error.
If not, it’s the kind of gaffe that makes you wince a bit.
Of course, it was John Kerry doing the dividing THEN, TOO!!!
Go to www.debates.org, the site of the Commission for Public Debates, or something like that. Not only do they have the last two sets of POTUS/VPOTUS debates, but they also have debates as far back as Reagan v. Jimmalaise Carter.
Also, for those who are interested, C-SPIN One is scheduled to replay this speech tonight at 11pm EDT, 8pm PDT if you're like me, on the Left Coast.
"Did he do this in the debates? "
He made the points, but never stated it this well nor this clearly... that is unfortunate, because if he had, he would have ended Kerry's chances on the spot!!!
It was september the 14th, right?
My opponent has a different outlook. While America does the hard work of fighting terror and spreading freedom, he has chosen the easy path of protest and defeatism.
None of us on the live thread heard "4th" so I'm pretty sure he said the "14th" and it is indeed a transcription error. (the 14th is the day he stood in the ruins)
No one forced them to register by the millions, or stand in long lines at polling places. On the day of that historic election, an Afghan widow brought all four of her daughters to vote alongside her. (Applause.) She said this -- she said, "When you see women here lined up to vote, this is something profound ... I never dreamed ... this day would come." But that woman's dream finally arrived, as it will one day across the greater Middle East. (Applause.) Thank you.
The dream of freedom is moving forward in Iraq. The terrorists know it, and they hate it, and they fight it. And we can expect more violence as Iraq moves toward free elections. Yet, every day in Iraq, our coalition is defeating the enemy's strategic objectives. The enemy seeks to disrupt the march toward democracy. But an Iraqi independent electoral commission is up and running, political parties are planning campaigns, voter registration will begin next month -- and free and fair Iraqi elections will be held on schedule this coming January. (Applause.)
The enemy seeks to establish sanctuaries in Iraq from which to commit acts of terror. But Iraqi and coalition forces are on the offensive in Fallujah and North Babil, and have restored government control in Samarra, Tall Afar, and Najaf. The enemy wants to make Iraqis afraid to join security forces. But every week, more and more Iraqis answer the call to arms. More than 100,000 soldiers, police and border guards are already trained, equipped and bravely serving their country. And well over 200,000 will be in place by the end of 2005. (Applause.) The enemy seeks to break the will of the Iraqi people. But as Prime Minister Allawi told the Congress, Iraqis are hopeful, optimistic and determined to prevail in their struggle for liberty. (Applause.)
After the enemy has failed in so many goals, what can these killers do now? They can fill up our TV screens with horrible images of suicide bombings and beheadings. These scenes are chaotic and horrific, but they're not a complete picture of what's happening in Iraq. A recent poll found that more than 75 percent of Iraqis want to vote, and they have confidence in the electoral progress. And more than 75 percent are hopeful about the future of their country. The violent acts of a few will not divert Iraqis and our coalition from the mission we have accepted. Iraq will be free, Iraqis will be secure and the terrorists will fail. (Applause.)
My opponent has a different outlook. While America does the hard work of fighting terror and spreading freedom, he has chosen the easy path of protest and defeatism. He refuses to acknowledge progress, or praise the growing democratic spirit in Iraq. He has not made democracy a priority of his foreign policy. But what is his strategy, his vision, his answer? Is he content to watch and wait, as anger and resentment grow for more decades in the Middle East, feeding more terrorism until radicals without conscience gain the weapons to kill without limit? Giving up the fight might seem easier in the short run, but we learned on September the 11th that if violence and fanaticism are not opposed at their source, they will find us where we live. America is safer today because Afghanistan and Iraq are fighting terrorists instead of harboring them. (Applause.) And I believe future generations of Americans will be spared violence and fear as democracy and hope and governments that oppose terror multiply across the Middle East. (Applause.)
Victory in the war on terror requires victory in Iraq. (Applause.) If a terror regime were allowed to re-emerge in Iraq, the terrorists would find a home, a source of funding and vital support. They would correctly conclude that free nations do not have the will to defend themselves. When Iraq becomes a free society at the heart of the Middle East, an ally in the war on terror, and a model for hopeful reform in a region that needs hopeful reform, the terrorists will suffer a crushing defeat and every free nation will be more secure. (Applause.)
Unfortunately, Senator Kerry does not share our commitment to victory in Iraq. For three years -- depending on the headlines, the poll numbers and political calculation -- he has taken almost every conceivable position on Iraq.
~snip~
One of my favorite portions of this speech
I was so upset w/FNC. They broke away from the speech with a couple minutes left to it. I was taping it.
Yep, I was there. Poor George made another dyslexic mistake. But he MEANT 14th! Forgive him. He ain't purfect, but he'll do! And SUV moms are with him, so we win, the election, that is. I'm not sure about the war. (Don't wanna hear about another stinking law, I want to see OSAMA"S head on a pole, or Zwarhiri sizzled like those poor office workers were. Straight ahead!
It was a STELLAR SPEECH....HOME RUN
SLAM DUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GO W!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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