Byrd on CSPAN2 now ... 11:50am ET

[foxglove1]

Talking about The Perfect Storm

Sue

[foxglove1]

1. Byrd speaks:

Al-quaeda alert ... a very sobering thought. Weather forecasters can do little but watch an approaching storm unfold. We require more from the POTUS when it comes to international crises. He can't afford to plot the approaching storms ... he needs to turn his attention to these countries and work with the int'l community and work to quell these crises. The price of inaction could be ruinous. North Korea is the most worrisome.

Sue

[foxglove1]

2. More:

Quoting Perry re: NK nuclear threat. Surely such a stark warnng should be a wake-up call to the POTUS, and yet the admin has refused to engage in direct talks with NK, or even characterize the threat as a crisi. He has continued to hurl invective at NK. Since last October, POTUS has downplayed the nuclear threat while hyping the threat from Iraq. NK is working feverishly to reinstate its program, and yet we haven't found a THREAD to indicate Iraq was doing the same. Time to drop the false bravado regarding NK.

Sue

[foxglove1]

3. More:

Wants international talks with NK. POTUS must come to terms with gravity of NK situation .. not a one-man show, not the type of discussion that can be sealed with a simple handshake. The Senate can help frame contours and content of international treaties. Also, how to deal with Iran's increasing nuclear posture. POTUS placed burden on the shoulders of international community to speak to the Iranian gov't. On Iran, WH is deferring to the same countries that it dismissed as inconsequential in the run-up to the war with Iraq. Unhelpful are hints that US is thinking about covert action to precipitate regime change in Iran.

Sue

[foxglove1]

4. More:

Liberia: POTUS raised expectations but it has been several weeks and still no clear policy has emerged from the Bush WH. Fraught with unknowns and uncertainties. Danger of ensnaring US troops in intractable civil war. Procrastination is not an acceptable response. Monrovia is in shambles. POTUS needs to determine course of action ... with Congress and the UN and explain his reasoning and strategy to the american people.

Sue

[foxglove1]

5. More:

Requires more than the usual off the cuff remarks tossed at reporters ... playing to the cameras with the *bring em on* school of rhetoric and photo ops. LOL Kicking Bush's ass! The largely forgotten war in Afghanistan continues to grind on and on and on. No end to the mission in sight and no clear mission to accomplish. In Iraq, sons have been killed and one can only hope that we're closing in on Hussein himself. But bin Laden continues to remain at large. The alert issued this week by HS is only the latest reminder that al-quaeda remains potent threat .... targets might include east coast or England or Italy, hijackings could be executed before the end of summer. It is unsettling that on subject of terrorism, POTUS is talking tough but he seldom mentions bin Laden anymore. Trying to divert attention of american people. Electronic eye ... I love Byrd! Threat of WMD was used to hoodwink public .. but now he barely mentions them anymore. Now he's talking about how regime change in Iraq was the main goal.

Sue

[foxglove1]

6. Preemption:

Sent shockwaves through int'l community. Justification for attacking Iraq but ramifications go far beyond. Hollowness of doctrine was exposed. NK and Iran have begun to scramble to accelerate their nuclear programs - Axis of Evil - caught in the crosshairs. Showing Bush for the asshole he is. POTUS is obsessed with Iraq and is paralyzed regarding NK and Iran. Meanwhile, terror threat continues to hover amid new warnings of terror attacks. POTUS is preparing to retire for a month to his ranch. Who is minding the White House!!? Senate will recess, I don't think we should go very far. LOL Go Byrd!

Sue

[sarin]

7. thanks

for typing all of that out. Did he really call bush an asshole? hehe that would be great if he did:P

ciao

sarin

[caledesi]

8. Thanks FG...that was great!