He's a leftist - what good is that? Let's focus on some more of KKK Byrd's words - shall we, newbie? Pretty wild stuff - from just last year!
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Subject: Robert Byrd
Posted By: Editor
Date Posted: December 23, 2002, 8:32 PM
WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL: 12-23-02
The Democrats' Lott
Now that Republicans are replacing Trent Lott with Bill Frist as Senate leader, grumpy Democrats are suggesting that the entire GOP needs to make amends for a racist past. Well, fine, if it's a wholesale purge Democrats want, we assume they'll be happy to start with their own ranks and oust the former Ku Klux Klan Kleagle, Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
As usual, this high moral and political tone was set by the Democrats' supreme leader, Bill Clinton, and his wife Hillary. "I think there is something hypocritical about the way Republicans are jumping all over" Mr. Lott, the former President said last week. "He just embarrassed them by saying in Washington what they do on the back roads every day." Massaging the same talking points, Hillary added Friday that what Mr. Lott "did was state publicly what many of them have stated privately over many years in the back roads and back streets of the South."
Last time we looked, however, Republicans didn't have any KKK alumni in their ranks. Especially not someone who has been the Senate's president pro-tem, putting him third in line for the Presidency after the Vice President and Speaker of the House. Surely this must shock the conscience of the Clintons.
Senator Byrd quit the Klan in the 1940s and has renounced it since. On the other hand, his history is worth revisiting, since it's something Democrats have been willing to tolerate, despite Lott-like remarks that would have ended a Republican's career. Only last year Mr. Byrd told Fox News that "There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time, if you want to use that word. But we all -- we all -- we just need to work together to make our country a better country and I -- I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much."
Mr. Byrd quickly apologized, but he wasn't denounced by Democrats, much less by the Clintons. Nor did the press corps use the opportunity to wallow in other Byrd racial lowlights, such as the 14 hours and 13 minutes he spent in an unsuccessful filibuster during the debate over the 1964 civil rights act, which he voted against along with 20 other Senate Democrats. The political press also didn't dredge up his votes against both Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, votes that made him the only Senator to have opposed the only two black Supreme Court nominees in U.S. history.
At the time of his "white nigger" remarks last year, no national papers bothered to mention two letters that the Senator had distanced himself from, Clinton-style, by saying he didn't recall writing them, though he also didn't dispute them. The New York Times reported in 1971 on a letter Mr. Byrd wrote in 1946, after leaving the Klan. Writing to the Klan's Imperial Wizard, Mr. Byrd identified himself as a former Kleagle and recommended a person to serve as state Klan coordinator. He wrote, "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia...It is necessary that the order be promoted immediately and in every state in the Union. Will you please inform me as to the possibilities of rebuilding the Klan realm of W. Va?"
And in a 1947 letter, after Mr. Byrd had been elected to the state senate, he wrote that he would "never submit to fight beneath that banner (the American flag) with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."
Since those unfortunate days, Senator Byrd has often referred to his Klan membership as a mistake of his youth, less often as a moral outrage. As recently as 1997, he told an interviewer he'd encourage young people to become involved in politics, but with this warning: "Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations in the political arena."
Not that this record inhibited Mr. Byrd's Senate rise. Democrats knew all about his racist past when they elected him their majority whip in 1971 over Ted Kennedy. He moved up to majority leader in 1977, defeating Hubert Humphrey, and led his party in the Senate until 1989. Even now as senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee he is regularly hailed by fellow Democrats as the conscience of the Senate.
By ousting Mr. Lott, Republicans have shown a willingness to punish any nostalgia in their own ranks for the misbegotten days of segregation. Democrats should be applauding this act of hygiene, especially given their own tolerance for leaders who have prospered by playing the race card.
Updated December 23, 2002
NewsMax.com
Friday May 9, 2003; 11:27 a.m. EDT
Maxine Waters Defends Ex-Klansman, Attacks GOP'er as Racist
Firebreathing California Congresswoman Maxine Waters angrily defended former Ku Klux Klansman Sen. Robert Byrd this week, saying that the one-time member of the cross burning, night-riding anti-black terror group was no more racist than her House colleague, Republican moderate Peter King.
"Unfortunately we do have racism in the backgrounds of many members of Congress, past and present. And [King is] one of them," Waters complained Wednesday on MSNBC's "News with Brian Williams," as a stunned King looked on.
"Wait, wait, Maxine. Whoa, whoa, Maxine. Let's end that right there," King shot back. "Senator Byrd and the Klu Klux--don't call me a racist, Maxine."
The verbal donnybrook erupted after King said that Sen. Byrd's Klan background undermined the credibility of his complaints about President Bush's appearance on the flight deck of the USS Lincoln last week.
"If they're going to rely on someone like Senator Byrd as their spokesman," King taunted, "a man who, years ago, with his racist background, gave up any right to be a moral arbiter of anything - then bring it on."
The barb sent Waters into a full-fledged meltdown, with the radical Democrat charging hysterically that the former Grand Kleagle's credentials on race were no worse than King's.
"I said you're guilty of some racism also," the California Democrat repeated, as King fumed.
"You come over there with Robert Byrd, I will stand with President Bush," he told Waters.
King told substitute anchorman John Seigenthaler that Waters' racism charge was "absolutely disgraceful."
"Just when I thought the Democrats couldn't go lower, they just did," he added. "You can bring out anything out about me. My record is--is clear and clean."
The full exchange went like this:
KING: Let me tell you, as a Republican, I almost welcome this. This is handing us an issue, because the Democrats make themselves look so small and petty. And if they're going to rely on someone like Senator Byrd as their spokesman, a man who, years ago, with his racist background gave up any right to be a moral arbiter of anything, then bring it on.
But you know, this shouldn't be about politics. This was a war that was won, the American people have a right to be proud of the armed forces, the president was out there. If anyone says that the president had some custom-fitted suit, I remember any time--any number of times where Bill Clinton would appear with troops with bomber jackets with his name on it, "commander in chief." I didn't begrudge him that. He was entitled to do that. And the president is a trained military pilot. So he had every right to be there. I think as an American, I'm proud that he was there. Whether he was a Democrat or Republican, no matter who the president was, I think all of us as Americans should be proud and not be petty begrudgers the way the Democrats are being today.
SEIGENTHALER: Well, what about this, Congresswoman Walters? I mean, President Clinton made appearances before troops before. He had a flight jacket on.
WATERS: Well, let me just say this. First of all, Peter King said something about racism in the background of Senator Byrd. And unfortunately we do have racism in the backgrounds of many members of Congress, past and present. And he's one of them. So let's take that off the table.
KING: Who is? I am? I am?
WATERS: Oh, yes, you are. And let's take that off...
KING: Wait, wait, Maxine. Whoa, whoa, Maxine. Let's end that right there.
WATERS: Take that off the table as an issue. Let me just say we are talking...
KING: Senator Byrd and the Klu Klux--don't call me a racist, Maxine.
WATERS: We are talking--yes, I did. We are talking about...
KING: Yeah.
WATERS: ...what this president did. Now, we have just come out of a crisis created by this president. Don't forget, he told us he was going to Iraq because there were weapons of mass destruction. He told us he was going there because we were in imminent danger from this dictator. We've not found any weapons of mass destruction. All we have is an invasion where millions of people--maybe, well, thousands of civilians have been killed, over 125 service people have been killed, Americans have been killed. The country has been looted and robbed of its arts and artifacts, and this president then gloats and flies in, a tailhook landing on the USS Abraham in a custom-fitted suit? I think it's an embarrassment.
SEIGENTHALER: Con--Congressman King, let me let you respond to that.
KING: Well, first of all, Maxine Waters has said something about me being a racist. That is absolutely disgraceful. And just when I thought the Democrats couldn't go lower, they just did. Robert Byrd belong...
WATERS: You went lower when you called--when you tried to inject racism into this argument.
KING: I never injected racism into any--I--I didn't belong...
WATERS: We were not talking about racism...
KING: Maxine, I...
WATERS: ...we were talking about the president of the United States.
SEIGENTHALER: Well, let me let--let me let Congressman King...
WATERS: You injected racism.
SEIGENTHALER: Let me let Congressman King respond if I can, Congressman Walters.
WATERS: If you don't want to talk about it, don't inject it. Don't inject, if you don't want to talk about it.
SEIGENTHALER: Well, let him--let's let him respond if we can.
KING: I didn't say a word about Maxine Waters. I said--John asked what I thought of Robert Byrd making a moral opinion. I'm saying as far as I'm concerned because of his background, he lost any right to be making moral judgments on anyone. As far as the president...
WATERS: You said racist background.
KING: Exactly. He was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. I consider the Klan...
WATERS: And I said you're guilty of some racism also.
KING: And I have absolutely--I have--I have never been a racist. I don't--maybe you--I think your problem is maybe you ascribe your sins to others and that's your problem.
WATERS: No.
KING: You come over there with Robert Byrd, I will stand with President Bush...
WATERS: No.
KING: ...the president of the United States. I'm proud that he's my commander in chief.
WATERS: I stand on the truth.
KING: You can be proud of Robert Byrd. And I'm delighted and proud that we had a...
WATERS: See, there you go putting words in people's mouth.
KING: ...that we had a president of the United States...
WATERS: That's what wrong with you, you're a spin artist, that's what's wrong with you.
KING: ...that--the fact is--no. I'm a--I'm a--I'm a proud American. I'm proud of having a president who led us through a war which the majority of Dem...
WATERS: Don't forget, I know something about what you have done. I know how you used my pictures and used me in your campaign. Yeah, you're guilty of racism.
KING: You--you can bring out anything out about me. My record is--is clear and clean.
WATERS: I know who you are.
SEIGENTHALER: Well...
KING: Absolutely, Maxine.
WATERS: I know very well who you are. [End of Excerpt]
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