Latest Kerry's email - Floor speech tomorrow

[Mass]

Great, he is going to speak tomorrow on the Senate floor about Iraq and offering the resolution asking for Bush to offer a plan.

(I guess it is tomorrow, the email is not dated).

Dear x,

We can't depend on George W. Bush finally seeing the light. And we surely can't rely on Dick Cheney finally telling the truth. We can't even count on Karl Rove seeing big Democratic victories in the 2005 elections as a sign that Americans want a clear strategy in Iraq, not just more slash and burn Republican staged events that aim to mislead.

We've got to count on intense grassroots pressure forcing Republicans in the House and Senate to force this White House to face reality.

That pressure ratcheted up yesterday when Republican candidates who aligned themselves with Bush fell to defeat in Virginia and New Jersey. Bush's last-minute personal campaigning in Virginia sealed the Republican candidate's defeat.

The bottom line: It's becoming harder and harder for the Republican Party to defend Bush's failures.

And no Bush failure is doing more damage than the President's stubborn clinging to self defeating "stay as long as it takes" rhetoric in Iraq.

That's why, in just a few days' time, nearly 200,000 people have signed on to support our demand that the President present a clear and concrete plan for Iraq. We're starting with a call for the withdrawal of 20,000 American troops over the holidays, linked to the successful completion of December elections in Iraq -- sending a signal to Iraqis that Iraq belongs to them. And we're pressing the Bush Administration to get it right with a new strategy that will bring the vast majority of our combat troops home by the end of 2006.

If you haven't signed yet, it's critical that you do so now:

Withdraw 20,000 troops over the holidays
(http://www.johnkerry.com/action/20000/index.php?source=8007)

Our goal is to collect 400,000 signatures before Thanksgiving. That's 20,000 Americans stepping forward each day for 20 consecutive days in support of our "20,000 troops home over the holidays" drive.

It's the vitally important first step in our call for a concrete plan that will produce genuine progress in Iraq and bring home the vast majority of our brave fighting men and women by the end of next year.

We can no longer let Republican politicians get away with providing political cover for George W. Bush's multiple failures on Iraq. We can't let them explain away policies that keep failing . . . scandals that keep deepening . . . principles that keep getting trampled on . . . and the urgent needs of America's families that keep getting ignored.

Your signature right now can really help.

Withdraw 20,000 troops over the holidays
(http://www.johnkerry.com/action/20000/index.php?source=8007)

Tomorrow I will be speaking out again and offering a resolution on the floor of the Senate to commit to the needed steps this White House refuses to take -- a plan for Iraq.

In less than a week, we'll be launching the next critical step in our "20,000 troops home over the holidays" campaign. We'll be placing impossible-to-ignore billboards in the home districts of Republican leaders across the country.

The message on the billboards will be "Withdraw 20,000 troops over the holidays."

The message behind the billboards will be even clearer: "In 2006, no Republican candidate will get away with putting his or her loyalty to George W. Bush ahead of what's right for our troops and our country."

Republicans have let the Bush Administration make one mind-boggling mistake after another in Iraq with hardly a word of protest.

As investigations and indictments mount, they pretend they can't see the corruption. As the bullying tactics of the extreme right wing dictate the Republican agenda, they pretend they can't see the danger.

And, as a White House hamstrung by a dizzying array of failed policies, botched decisions, and corrupt practices reels out of control, they pretend they can't see their own responsibility to act.

If they're not willing to lead, they need to get out of the way. We've got to get them out of the way so that we can roll up our sleeves and move America forward again. That's what the most critical legislative and electoral contests of the next twelve months are going to be all about. We're going to get "do nothing to offend the President" Republicans out of the way, so that we can move America in the right direction again.

Let's push hard -- and let's promise each other to not stop pushing until we have put our America back on track.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

P.S. Friday, President Bush will deliver another defense of his irresponsible "stay as long as it takes" approach to Iraq. But, more and more Americans are rallying to our call for forward movement in Iraq and the withdrawal of the vast majority of our troops by the end of next year

[jenndar]

1. YAY!!

I'll have to set the DVR to record all day tomorrow.

[Mass]

2. This is great news - I think at least one other senator (Feingold)

should cosponsor this as he has been asking for such a bill several times on the Senate floor, but we will see.

This is really great, great news, IMHO. It shows that Kerry is really at the forefront of the Senate fight on this issue.

[jenndar]

3. Someone probably will.

If he sent out this email a day in advance, I can see Senator Feingold and others planning to support the statement one way or another.

Also, C-SPAN can be pretty disappointing when it comes to JK coverage, but they do tend to re-run his important floor speeches. With any luck, this will be on a couple of times tomorrow evening, too. *crosses fingers REALLY HARD*

[rox63]

6. Welcome to DU and to the JK Group, jenndar

:hi:

[jenndar]

7. Thank you!

I like it here :)

[_dynamicdems]

4. I loved the subject of the e-mail...

Reality 2, Bush 0

How can anyone ignore the stands that Senator Kerry takes? He's been at the forefront of every important issue and has also been working tirelessly behind the scenes.

This should be good. The timing couldn't be better.

[jenndar]

5. Me, too.

Also, how can anyone ignore that he is snarky and hilarious?

[_dynamicdems]

17. You're right! .

He certainly is! Don't you love it?

[TayTay]

8. Sen. Kerry has 200,000 sigs so far.

Sen. Reid has 110,000 sigs on his petition that asks for a withdrawal plan (without the strict numbers, I think.) Hmmmmm, despite all the bad GD stuff, we have to remember that Sen. Kerry got 200,000 in 5 days. (He wanted 20,000 a day, he is averaging double that.)

Nice. That e-mail list is a doozy. Kudos to whoever is working to upgrade and maintain it and a sharp tip of the hat.

[Fla4kerry]

9. I was hoping that Kerry

wouldn't let his speech on this issue go to waste. He gave it several weeks ago regarding his plan. It's about time!!

[Mass]

10. He has been speaking about it several times since

during his visits throughout the country, by emails. radio interviews. ...

It has been exactly two weeks since he made the speech (Oct 26) and he has not been silent since.

It is true that with all these adventures, it seems like several weeks.
Too bad the media ignore him.

[whometense]

11. I got a totally different email today

A local one. I love the part in bold (my bolding).


Dear Xxxxx,

Yesterday Democrats put on a strong showing in the 2005 elections, turning out the vote for Mayor Tom Menino and other leaders across Massachusetts. Today begins the first day of the 2006 campaign. I am committed to doing everything I can to help re-elect my friend and colleague Senator Ted Kennedy and elect a Democratic Governor in Massachusetts.

We must begin organizing today to get ready for 2006. Working in conjunction with our Democratic State Chair Phil Johnston, I am delighted to announce the formation of a new program at the state party called the Mass Victory '06 Grassroots Program.

Sign up now to volunteer

The Massachusetts Democratic Party has a proud tradition of organizing at the precinct level in support of its candidates. Together, let's build on that tradition and create the best volunteer-based organization the Commonwealth has ever seen.

The Mass Victory '06 Grassroots Program is designed with the goal of building a precinct by precinct organizing effort in every community across the state. We start by recruiting precinct volunteers, who are committed to working for the next year to grow and strengthen our party at the grassroots level. Precinct volunteers will lead a block-by-block effort throughout Massachusetts' 2,156 precincts to communicate the Democratic Party's message to neighbors and register new voters.

But we need your help. We can't succeed without volunteers and leaders who agree to take responsibility for organizing in their neighborhoods. Massachusetts State Democratic Chair Phil Johnston has already signed up to be a Precinct Captain. Please consider joining him by participating in this effort in your precinct.

Sign up now to volunteer

No one knows better than I what the members of the johnkerry.com community are capable of when you put your heart and soul into campaigning.

Together you built an unprecedented national grassroots campaign in 2004, involving more volunteers in neighborhoods across the country and more small-dollar grassroots donors than any Democratic campaign in history.

Massachusetts Democrats, many of you veterans of my past campaigns, provided a critical pillar of that effort. You organized in neighborhoods across the Commonwealth to impact the race here, and many of you traveled across the region and country to assume leadership roles in our effort. You made an enormous difference.

Now I am eager to work with you to further strengthen the Massachusetts Democratic Party by supporting the Mass Victory '06 Grassroots Program. I have pledged financial and organizational support and assigned senior-level staff to assist Phil Johnston and his team. Moreover, I look forward to joining meetings across the Commonwealth, where Democrats gather to train organizers, raise money, and canvass neighborhoods.

But the vital ingredient for victory in 2006 is you.

Sign up now to volunteer

The Massachusetts Democratic Party needs your participation so we can re-elect Ted Kennedy, elect a Democratic Governor, and elect Democrats up and down the ballot in 2006.

I will never forget what each of you did for Teresa and me, for the Democratic Party, and for the country last year. Thank you.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

P.S. If everyone on our johnkerry.com Massachusetts team passes on this email to one friend or recruits just one person to take part in the Mass Victory '06 Grassroots Program, we will immediately double our grassroots effort.

[Mass]

12. Interesting - My husband received both and I still have received none

[TayTay]

14. Yeah, I like this.

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

This still means we share people. (I have the clones ready to go, after all. There is no possible way that one person can do all ths stuff we keep reading about. It must be either incredible stamina and devotion to cuase or, ahm, clones.)


Now I am eager to work with you to further strengthen the Massachusetts Democratic Party by supporting the Mass Victory '06 Grassroots Program. I have pledged financial and organizational support and assigned senior-level staff to assist Phil Johnston and his team. Moreover, I look forward to joining meetings across the Commonwealth, where Democrats gather to train organizers, raise money, and canvass neighborhoods.

Rox, we go to meetings in the Merrimack Valley with Sen. Kerry. Sigh! (Well, that plus I friggin hate Romney and Barbie and would do about anything to get rid of them. But this is a nice bonus.)

Thanks Sentah! Awesome! I'm so there. (I signed up last week through the Mass Dem PArty. This is a good thing. I never thought I would ever live to see two things in my lifetime: The Red Sox winning a World Series and the Mass Dems organizing and coordinating strategies and inviting in grassroots and supporting them with mucho money. Now I can die in peace. My life is fulfilled.)

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[karynnj]

20. Wonderful letter - I like the PS

That letter is just brimming with optimism, good spirits and excitement. I loved his NJ and other state levels, but this one to his own state seems special. Your 2006 election should be really fun to be part of.

[Mass]

13. delete

[jillan]

15. Thank you Senator Kerry for doing this on my day off

and I can see you on tv cuz I miss you!

Got the letter too.

[globalvillage]

16. Floor Speech Tomorrow! Floor Speech Tomorrow!

I can hardly contain myself. My eyes will be glued to CSpan 2 all day.
Hopefully, no stupid work stuff will interfere. I hate to put people on hold for that long, they tend to hang up.
Oh well. Guess they'll call back!
Yay!!! Floor Speech!!!

I need help.

:D

[Noisy Democrat]

26. Is the speech today?

I got the e-mail yesterday. I thought the floor speech would be today, Thursday.

[karynnj]

18. Guess who is giving a major Iraq speech today? ..... McCain

Norah O'donnel, bringing new meaning to the word groupie, announced this a few minutes ago on MSNBC and interviewed McCain. As Bush is tanking, the press is really getting behind McCain as the alternative. (I seriously have not seen a reporters face as lit up and glowing as O'Donnel's when talking about McCain.

It sounds like he wants a real occupation - he said we need to take and secure areas, expanding the controlled area gradually - wasn't this the VN model?? Didn't it fail?

So, any bets on the ratio of minutes of coverage he gets to what Kerry got at Georgetown. Is 1000 too low. (I guess on some stations, it''s infinity due to the zero in the denominator.

[TayTay]

19. Yeah! This is awesome.

There can be a friggin comparison. The Rethugs, including the saintly John McCain, have no ideas beyond, 'stay the course and send more troops.' I am beside myself for this. Sen. McCain has earned some media credits for his sponsorship of the anti-torture amendment. Good for him.

Now, let's see him put some lipstick on this pig. Go ahead John McCain, make my day. I dare you to do this. I double-dog dare you. You will get a temporary boost for this, but 'stay the course' doesn't work, doesn't reflect the current will of the American people and is bad policy.

Thanks! I am so pumped. The battle between competing visions of what has to be done in IRaq is going to be joined. Yeah! We need this. (Which Party has new ideas and which doesn't?)

[karynnj]

21. It will definitely delineate the positions

especially if sufficient Democrats get behind Kerry's position or a variant of it - it becomes a clear choice. I hope Kerry's position is explained as more than "withdrawal".

I wonder what it will do to people like Hillary who are sitting on the fence? I just hope this doesn't lead to a challenge on the left to the NY Senate seat (other than in the primaries). - Although there's more cause for it than the 2002 challenge to Kerry.

[beachmom]

24. Anybody have an ETA on when Kerry will speak?

I set my DVR through 8 PM tonight. Actually, that would be a good contrast if I capture both speeches. McCain is less of a liar than * about what exactly "stay the course" means. There's an article in this issue of the Atlantic on what "stay the course" means (and the author is for it). I will peruse it and maybe give you guys some excerpts. The problem with * is he's not willing to even say what his policy means in practice. I think it's fair to see both alternatives and get people to decide on it. On one hand, the "stay the course" folks who tell the truth is very specific and explains everything. But we are talking about a lot of troops, tons of money, and years and years of work. And after all of the blood, sweat, toil, and tears, there is no guarantee it will work. No way did the majority of Americans sign up for this when they first agreed with the invasion of Iraq. The administration lied (to us and themselves) about how tough it was going to be.

Dueling senators McCain and Kerry. It removes the name calling and personal attacks and will just be an honest down and dirty fight on what the hell to do about Iraq. I look forward to it.

[karynnj]

30. Great post

Bush needs to tell us his plan. But having Kerry's Georgetown (and whatever he does today) and McCain's side by side will be interesting.

It's worth noting that although both demonstated honor in VN, one was able to look at standard practices and sell an alternative to his peers, implement it and get a silver star while the other was not better than average as a jr officer - even though he was a graduate of a service academy.

[jillan]

22. Anybody have an educated guess when Kerry will be on??

I was thinking he would do this during morning business, and when they said the senator from Mass., I ran to the tv...wrong senator! No offense to Kennedy, he is wonderful, his speech was great as usual..

but this is what I am impatiently waiting for:

[jillan]

23. There is a pretty good fight going on right now - anyone watching?

Kennedy vs Warner

[karynnj]

25. Sessions says some people need to re-examine their consciences

Can I suggest Bush and Cheney examine (for the first time) their consciences first. (Turned on thanks to your heads up.) I gather Kennedy is who Sessions is mad at (probably along with his JR Senator)

[TayTay]

27. I heard that idiot Sessions

"Of course we handed out money from the back of a truck. That's how you do business in that country." What a fuckign retard.

[karynnj]

34. does that excuse not even keeping records?

He is an idiot. "That's areas in Iraq that are dangerous" I'm glad he told me.

[beachmom]

28. Just turned on the TV -- Jeff Sessions. Must have missed it

Okay, now here's hoping for a REAL debate on Iraq right on the Senate floor. I would LOVE to see Kerry and McCain have a debate live. A lot of "while I respect the esteemed senator from . . . ". If it was an awesome debate it would be seen on the news tonight. Since both of them are so famous. And the partisan talking points which are SOO boring would be thrown out the window; in its place would be two men honestly assessing Iraq in completely different ways. Preview to 2008, anyone???

I'm tired of the lies and bulls**t. Let's talk about Iraq. What is REALLY going on there.

[karynnj]

35. That would be great - though I doubt McCain would agree to it

He has as much media as he wants for the asking with softball questions and fawning reporters. A debate with Kerry helps Kerry - even if McCain outperforms Kerry the Yale debate champion) - which he might with his smilely little comments that they're doing what's right.

It would be nice because both would be respectful and it would lay out the choice - there are no really good solutions - both men are suggesting how to fix a mess.

[Mass]

31. Nowhere (CSPAN 2 for the floor speech that is)

Too much concurrence. Clinton and McCain both speaking today.

Here for Clinton.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=56517

[karynnj]

33. I just saw the Clinton thing in DU but it didn't say what he would talk on

but did say it was a major policy speech. Shouldn't he be letting Hillary get the spot light.

[kerrygoddess]

40. I'm waiting for some details on when...

And further into too...

[jillan]

41. Please post as soon as you hear.

I have to go run errands, and I'm planning my day around this - lol!

[Noisy Democrat]

29. I thought the speech was on Thursday

I got the e-mail yesterday, so I thought it would be today.

Comcast in Michigan is now pre-empting CSPAN-2 to bring us Local Bumpkin TV, a.k.a. MGTV (Michigan Government). I'm doing my best to watch CSPAN-2 here on my computer instead. The Comcast rep I talked to said that they will take a complain if you ask them to, and when they next make decisions about cable lineups, they will take them into account. So please, if anyone has Comcast in an area where they're assigning one number to CSPAN-2 and to something else, PLEASE call and ask them to make CSPAN2 a non-shared channel.

[Mass]

32. I posted that Wednesday, so I imagine it will be Thursday (today).

[jillan]

38. Oh that would make me soooooo mad.

I have on CSpan 2 whenever possible.

[karynnj]

36. Levin and Dorgan made good argument s on the Dorgan amendment

to investigate the procurement. He brought up that the Truman amendment did this during a war when their was concern about war profiteering.

[jillan]

37. It's all such a waste of time

These repugs don't have a consciense.
They will vote on party lines.

C'mon Senators - prove me wrong!

[jillan]

39. aarrrggghhhhhh

[beachmom]

42. From the Atlantic -- what is necessary to train Iraqi Army

Guys, this is not good. This is from a pro-war POV, but the author is no partisan hack. Here are a few excerpts. I wish I could excerpt more, but it is a subscription only article about the training of Iraqi forces:

Language remained a profound and constant problem. One of the surprises in asking about training Iraqi troops was how often it led to comparisons with Vietnam. Probably because everything about the Vietnam War took longer to develop, "Vietnamization" was a more thought-through, developed strategy than "Iraqization" has had a chance to be. A notable difference is that Americans chosen for training assignments in Vietnam were often given four to six months of language instruction. That was too little to produce any real competence, but enough to provide useful rudiments that most Americans in Iraq don't have .



All indications from the home front were that training Iraqis had become a boring issue. Opponents of the war rarely talked about it. Supporters reeled off encouraging but hollow statistics as part of a checklist of successes the press failed to report. President Bush placed no emphasis on it in his speeches. Donald Rumsfeld, according to those around him, was bored by Iraq in general and this tedious process in particular, neither of which could match the challenge of transforming America's military establishment.



From the vast and growing literature of counterinsurgency come two central points. One, of course, is the intertwining of political and military objectives: in the long run this makes local forces like the Iraqi army more potent than any foreigners; they know the language, they pick up subtle signals, they have a long-term stake. The other is that defeating an insurgency is the very hardest kind of warfare. The United States cannot win this battle in Iraq. It hopes the Iraqis can.



Since last June, President Bush has often repeated his "As Iraqi forces stand up ..." formula, but he rarely says anything more specific about American exit plans. When he welcomed Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, to the White House in September, his total comment on the training issue in a substantial welcoming speech was "Our objective is to defeat the enemies of a free Iraq, and we're working to prepare more Iraqi forces to join the fight." This was followed by the stand up/stand down slogan. Vice President Cheney sounds similarly dutiful. ("Our mission in Iraq is clear," he says in his typical speech. "On the military side we are hunting down the terrorists and training Iraqi security forces so they can take over responsibility for defending their own country." He usually follows with the slogan but with no further details or thoughts.)

Donald Rumsfeld has the same distant tone. Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz have moved on to different things. At various times since 9/11 members of the administration have acted as if catching Osama bin Laden, or changing Social Security, or saving Terri Schiavo, or coping with Hurricane Katrina, mattered more than any possible other cause. Creating an Iraqi military actually matters more than almost anything else. But the people who were intent on the war have lost interest in the only way out .



America's hopes today for an orderly exit from Iraq depend completely on the emergence of a viable Iraqi security force. There is no indication that such a force is about to emerge. As a matter of unavoidable logic, the United States must therefore choose one of two difficult alternatives: It can make the serious changes—including certain commitments to remain in Iraq for many years —that would be necessary to bring an Iraqi army to maturity. Or it can face the stark fact that it has no orderly way out of Iraq, and prepare accordingly.

The thing is I have to agree that if we want to do Iraq "right", it will take 30 years. I think there are serious consequences to Kerry's plan that we all have to consider. The stakes are higher in Iraq than they ever were in Vietnam. But since this administration has neither the interest nor the ability to do it right, I say we work on getting out, and hope for the best. I just don't think I have the stomach for us to be there that long, at least like Kerry said, involved in "search and destroy" missions. This issue is tough. Very tough.

[Mass]

43. Is it Fallows's article?

[beachmom]

44. Sorry, yes. What do you know of him?

[TayTay]

45. He wrote a wonderful article about

how we got ourselves into Iraq and how awful and stupid this action was in Jan/Feb 2004. (Read it here: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200401/fallows)

Al Frnaken was extremely fond of this article all last year. It was good. Fallows knows his shit. I will read this when it comes in the mail.