Senator Byrd is a pompous blowhard. He is so in love with his own rhetorical flourishes that his speeches inevitably stray off course. He is a walking caricature of a self-important politician.
He deserves some credit for making this particular speech, but not much when viewed against the overall body of his output.
I usually mock his speeches. It's easy to do so for delivery (although I find his delivery quite entertaining), and usually for substance.
But I found this speech to be well organized, well delivered, and surprizingly, he utterd substantive material that I am entirely in agreement with.
Even a blind squirrel can find an acorn.