Byrd: 'Marshall Plan to Bush Iraqi Plan: No Comparison'

Robert Byrd: 'Marshall Plan to Bush Iraqi Plan: No Comparison'


"With WWII, Japan had attacked us. The Axis Powers had declared war on us. The US occupation of Germany and Japan took place in the wake of a widely supported defensive war, under a commitment to internationalism and multilateralism. We're seeing none of this in Iraq.

"For one, the war in Iraq was not defensive. It was a preemptive attack. Secondly, we have alienated most of the int'l community in fighting the war. Third, the Germans and Japanese did not resist the US occupation through sabotage, assassinations, and guerilla warfare. The Marshall Plan was not a huge bill presented to Congress for its rubber-stamp approval. It was a comprehensive strategy to provide $13.3bn to 16 countries over 4 years to aid in reconstruction. In current dollars, the US share would be...very nearly the same amount that has been requested by the Resident for one country for a period of mere months. Moreover, the total amount of aid that the Resident will ultimately request for Iraq is anyone's guess."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/092603E.shtml

Kerry made that contrast with the Marshall plan last night with Eva Zahn.

he is like Muhammed Ali on the Senate Floor.
That old man has a lot of fight in him. I watched part of his filibuster where he was holding the constitution and shaming the others because they weren't taking it seriously. His speech was intense.

Byrd once again is a one-man band for all of us.

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: