Democratic Senator speaks truth about Kerry, supports Bush

[mayfly]

ELECTION 2004
Text of Zell Miller's speech
'I have knocked on the door of this man's soul ... '

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Posted: September 1, 2004
10:30 p.m. Eastern



Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren.

Along with all the other members of our close-knit family, they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions.

And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face.


Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in.

And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family?

The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party.

There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

In the summer of 1940, I was an 8-year-old boy living in a remote little Appalachian valley. Our country was not yet at war, but even we children knew that there were some crazy men across the ocean who would kill us if they could.

President Roosevelt, in his speech that summer, told America "all private plans, all private lives, have been in a sense repealed by an overriding public danger."

In 1940, Wendell Wilkie was the Republican nominee.

And there is no better example of someone repealing their "private plans" than this good man. He gave Roosevelt the critical support he needed for a peacetime draft, an unpopular idea at the time.

And he made it clear that he would rather lose the election than make national security a partisan campaign issue.

Shortly before Wilkie died, he told a friend, that if he could write his own epitaph and had to choose between "here lies a president" or "here lies one who contributed to saving freedom," he would prefer the latter.

Where are such statesmen today?

Where is the bipartisanship in this country when we need it most?

Now, while young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrat's manic obsession to bring down our Commander in Chief.

What has happened to the party I've spent my life working in?

I can remember when Democrats believed that it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny.

It was Democratic President Harry Truman who pushed the Red Army out of Iran, who came to the aid of Greece when Communists threatened to overthrow it, who stared down the Soviet blockade of West Berlin by flying in supplies and saving the city.

Time after time in our history, in the face of great danger, Democrats and Republicans worked together to ensure that freedom would not falter. But not today.

Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator.

And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.

Tell that to the one-half of Europe that was freed because Franklin Roosevelt led an army of liberators, not occupiers.

Tell that to the lower half of the Korean Peninsula that is free because Dwight Eisenhower commanded an army of liberators, not occupiers.

Tell that to the half a billion men, women and children who are free today from the Baltics to the Crimea, from Poland to Siberia, because Ronald Reagan rebuilt a military of liberators, not occupiers.

Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier. And, our soldiers don't just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home.

For it has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.

It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.

No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home.

But don't waste your breath telling that to the leaders of my party today. In their warped way of thinking America is the problem, not the solution.

They don't believe there is any real danger in the world except that which America brings upon itself through our clumsy and misguided foreign policy.

It is not their patriotism -- it is their judgment that has been so sorely lacking. They claimed Carter's pacifism would lead to peace.

They were wrong.

They claimed Reagan's defense buildup would lead to war.

They were wrong.

And, no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

Together, Kennedy/Kerry have opposed the very weapons system that won the Cold War and that is now winning the War on Terror.

Listing all the weapon systems that Senator Kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our national security but Americans need to know the facts.

The B-1 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, dropped 40 percent of the bombs in the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The B-2 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hussein's command post in Iraq.

The F-14A Tomcats, that Senator Kerry opposed, shot down Gadhafy's Libyan MIGs over the Gulf of Sidra. The modernized F-14D, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered missile strikes against Tora Bora.

The Apache helicopter, that Senator Kerry opposed, took out those Republican Guard tanks in Kuwait in the Gulf War. The F-15 Eagles, that Senator Kerry opposed, flew cover over our Nation's Capital and this very city after 9/11.

I could go on and on and on: against the Patriot Missile that shot down Saddam Hussein's scud missiles over Israel; against the Aegis air-defense cruiser; against the Strategic Defense Initiative; against the Trident missile; against, against, against.

This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces?

U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?

Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric.

Campaign talk tells people who you want them to think you are. How you vote tells people who you really are deep inside.

Senator Kerry has made it clear that he would use military force only if approved by the United Nations.

Kerry would let Paris decide when America needs defending.

I want Bush to decide.

John Kerry, who says he doesn't like outsourcing, wants to outsource our national security.

That's the most dangerous outsourcing of all. This politician wants to be leader of the free world.

Free for how long?

For more than 20 years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, John Kerry has been more wrong, more weak and more wobbly than any other national figure.

As a war protester, Kerry blamed our military.

As a Senator, he voted to weaken our military. And nothing shows that more sadly and more clearly than his vote this year to deny protective armor for our troops in harms way, far away.

George Bush understands that we need new strategies to meet new threats.

John Kerry wants to re-fight yesterday's war. George Bush believes we have to fight today's war and be ready for tomorrow's challenges. George Bush is committed to providing the kind of forces it takes to root out terrorists.

No matter what spider hole they may hide in or what rock they crawl under.

George Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip.

From John Kerry, they get a "yes-no-maybe" bowl of mush that can only encourage our enemies and confuse our friends.

I first got to know George Bush when we served as governors together. I admire this man. I am moved by the respect he shows the first lady, his unabashed love for his parents and his daughters, and the fact that he is unashamed of his belief that God is not indifferent to America.

I can identify with someone who has lived that line in "Amazing Grace," "Was blind, but now I see," and I like the fact that he's the same man on Saturday night that he is on Sunday morning.

He is not a slick talker but he is a straight shooter and, where I come from, deeds mean a lot more than words.

I have knocked on the door of this man's soul and found someone home, a God-fearing man with a good heart and a spine of tempered steel.

The man I trust to protect my most precious possession: my family.

This election will change forever the course of history, and that's not any history. It's our family's history.

The only question is how. The answer lies with each of us. And, like many generations before us, we've got some hard choosing to do.

Right now the world just cannot afford an indecisive America. Fainthearted self-indulgence will put at risk all we care about in this world.

In this hour of danger our President has had the courage to stand up. And this Democrat is proud to stand up with him.

Thank you.

God Bless this great country and God Bless George W. Bush.

[CagedTroll]

And afterwards, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now].

[crazytimes]

I loved Zell Millers speech! It was awesome...cool dude.

[chippers21]

Miller is wonderful. I think the Republican party is secretly very happy with him. They had to say what they did to pacify the Dems. LOL Poor Dems. Miller hit the nail on the head about Kerry's voting record speaking volumes despite his current rhetoric.

[mayfly]

I don't think they were backing away from him, Laura Bush says his voice was one of many supporters of Bush's. I think that the president was simply taking issue with Zen Miller's statement about his beliefs that Democrats have acted unpatriotic. President Bush and the republican party are strongly saying that is Zen Millers beliefs, he is not speaking for the Republican party. In supporting all peoples beliefs and political backgrounds Bush once again runs into another case of "d*mned if you do, d*mned if you don't." If he hadn't clarified Zen Miller's personal beliefs, his opponents would have been up in arms about that.

[prism68]

Originally Posted by crazytimes

I loved Zell Millers speech! It was awesome...cool dude.

Me too... the man is a statesman and he always gives great speeches. Of course I have been a groupie of his since he raised all the teacher salaries in GA when he was Governor

p.s. One of my students came in this morning and said Zell was on Hardball a couple of days ago and just blew Chris away. Did anyone see it?

[crazytimes]

The fact is, John Kerry wants America to think that because he served in Vietnam, he is qualified to be Commander-in-Chief. I give him respect for that, but his record, which is what Zell Miller was calling him out on, speaks a whole different story about his support of the military.

How can someone who has voted AGAINST giving our servicemen and women the tools and weapons they need, claim that they support the military, etc.

His flip-flopping on the Iraq War is unbelievable! I DON'T KNOW HOW ANY DEMOCRAT CAN EVEN EXPLAIN THAT!

It is absolutely ridiculous! Have you seen the video "Kerry on Iraq"? It's crazy what this man says one day, then says the next!

It CANNOT be disputed! There are clips of him on so many major news shows, not to mention RECORDS of his votes. If that is not hard proof, I don't know what is.

[mrbowler]

Originally Posted by crazytimes

The fact is, John Kerry wants America to think that because he served in Vietnam, he is qualified to be Commander-in-Chief. I give him respect for that, but his record, which is what Zell Miller was calling him out on, speaks a whole different story about his support of the military.

How can someone who has voted AGAINST giving our servicemen and women the tools and weapons they need, claim that they support the military, etc.

His flip-flopping on the Iraq War is unbelievable! I DON'T KNOW HOW ANY DEMOCRAT CAN EVEN EXPLAIN THAT!

It is absolutely ridiculous! Have you seen the video "Kerry on Iraq"? It's crazy what this man says one day, then says the next!

It CANNOT be disputed! There are clips of him on so many major news shows, not to mention RECORDS of his votes. If that is not hard proof, I don't know what is.

Here is the official Kerry DeBunker on Defense:

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Kerry Has Supported More than $4.4 Trillion in Defense Spending Including Voting for 16 of the Last 19 Defense Authorization Bills. He Voted for the "Largest Increase in Defense Spending Since the Early 1980's."

John Kerry is a strong supporter of the U.S. Armed Services and has consistently worked to ensure the military has the best equipment and training possible. In 2002, John Kerry voted for a large increase in the defense budget. This increase provided more than $355 billion for the Defense Department for 2003, an increase of $21 billion over 2002. This measure includes $71.5 billion for procurement programs such as $4 billion for the Air Force's F-22 fighter jets, $3.5 billion for the Joint Strike Fighter and $279.3 million for an E-8C Joint Stars (JSTARS) aircraft. Kerry's vote also funded a 4.1% pay increase for military personnel, $160 million for the B-1 Bomber Defense System Upgrade, $1.5 billion for a new attack submarine, more than $630 million for Army and Navy variants of the Blackhawk helicopter, $3.2 billion for additional C-17 transports, $900 million for R&D of the Comanche helicopter and more than $800 million for Trident Submarine conversion.


Bradley Fighting Vehicle
M-1 Abrams Tank
Aircraft Carriers
F-15 Strike Eagle
Block 60 F-16
B-1 Bomber
B-2 Bomber
Patriot Missile Defense System
FA-18 Fighter
Intelligence Funding


Bradley Fighting Vehicle
The Kerry Record - Bradley Fighting Vehicles:
Kerry has supported at least $8.5 billion in defense authorizations for the Bradley program [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]


M-1 Abrams Tank
The Kerry Record - M1 Abrams Tanks:
Kerry has supported at least $21.5 billion in defense authorizations for the Abrams tank. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]


Aircraft Carriers
The Kerry Record - Aircraft Carriers:
Kerry has supported all five new aircraft carriers since he joined the senate: Since 1985, John Kerry has voted to start work on each of the five new aircraft carriers: the USS Stennis and the USS Truman in FY88, the USS Reagan in FY93, the USS Bush in FY98 and the newest (yet unnamed) carrier in FY01.

CVN-74 (Stennis), CVN-75 (Truman):
"The Congress authorized full funding in 1988 for CVN 74 and 75." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY88 [globalsecurity.org; [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

CVN-76 (Reagan):
"In fiscal year 1993, the Congress provided $832 million for long-lead procurement items (primarily nuclear components) for CVN-76." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY93 [globalsecurity.org; [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

CVN-77 (Bush):
"The FY1998 budget request included no funding for CVN 77, a posture supported by the House. However, the Senate authorized $345.0 million for procurement and construction of components for the CVN 77 aircraft carrier, authorized the Secretary of the Navy to enter into a contract or contracts with the carrier shipbuilder for such purposes, and authorized $35.0 million for research, development, test, and evaluation of technologies that have potential for use in the CVN 77. The Senate directed the Secretary of Defense to structure the procurement of the CVN 77 so that the carrier is acquired for an amount not to exceed $4.6 billion. The conferees supported construction of the CVN 77 and encouraged the Secretary of Defense to make available up to $295.0 million in fiscal year 1998 and to include in the FYDP accompanying the fiscal year 1999 budget request the funding necessary to achieve the savings required to remain within the $4.6 billion cost limitation." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY98. [[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

CVN-21 (formerly CVNX) (unnamed):
The FY2001 budget request. "On 13 July 2000 the Senate authorized the Secretary of the Navy to procure the aircraft carrier to be designated CVNX-1. The Secretary may enter into one or more contracts for the advance procurement and advance construction of components for the ship, with $21,869,000 authorized for the advance procurement and advance construction of components (including nuclear components) for the CVNX-1 aircraft carrier program." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY01.[globalsecurity.org; [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]


F-15 Strike Eagle
The Kerry Record - F-15 Fighter Jets:
Kerry supported at least 19.5 billion in defense authorizations for the F-15. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]


Block 60 F-16
The Kerry Record - F-16 Fighter Jets:
Kerry supported at least $25 billion in defense authorizations for the F-16. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]

The Cheney Record: Cheney Proposed Cutting F-16 Aircraft.
In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Cheney said, "If you're going to have a smaller air force, you don't need as many F-16s... The F-16D we basically continue to buy and close it out because we're not going to have as big a force structure and we won't need as many F-16s." According to the Boston Globe, Bush's 1991 defense budget "kill[ed] 81 programs for potential savings of $ 11.9 billion…Major weapons killed include[d]... the Air Force's F-16 airplane." [Cheney testimony, House Armed Services Committee, 2/7/91; Boston Globe, 2/5/91]


B-1 Bomber
The Kerry Record - B-1 Bomber:
John Kerry has supported at least 10.3 billion in Defense authorizations for the B-1 Bomber. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]


B-2 Bomber
The Kerry Record - B-2 Bomber:
Kerry has supported over $16.7 billion in defense authorizations for the B-2 program. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]

The Cheney Record: Cheney Proposed Cuts to B-2 Program. According to the Boston Globe, in 1990, "Defense Secretary Richard Cheney announced a cutback… of nearly 45 percent in the administration's B-2 Stealth bomber program, from 132 airplanes to 75..." [Boston Globe, 4/27/90]


Patriot Missile Air Defense System
The Kerry Record - Patriot Missile Air Defense System
Kerry supported at least $10 billion in defense authorizations for the Patriot program. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]


FA-18 Fighter
The Kerry Record - FA-18 Fighter:
Kerry supported at least $60 billion in defense authorizations for the F/A-18 and F-18 Fighter Jets [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]

The Cheney F-18 Record: Cutbacks Hit Industry Hard
Workers and the industry were hit hard by Cheney's decision for "major cuts" in the F/A-18 program and upgrades to the F-18 in the late 1980s [Flight International, 6/27/90; Los Angeles Times, 12/17/89; Aerospace Daily, 5/26/89; Aviation Week and Space Technology, 5/1/89]


Intelligence Funding
Kerry Strongly Supports Increased Intelligence Funding
Kerry, a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has strongly supported recent increases in Intelligence funding for the CIA, FBI, NSA & Other Intel Agencies. In the wake of 9/11, he has supported the bipartisan call for an even larger increase in intelligence funding. According to a report issued by the Center for Defense Information entitled "Intelligence Funding and the War on Terror" John Kerry has supported approximately $250 billion in Intelligence funding over the past eight years alone. The report concludes that Kerry has supported a 50% increase in intelligence funding since 1996. [Senate Intelligence Authorization Funding voice votes 9/25/02, 12/13/01, 12/6/00, 11/19/1999, 10/8/98 & 9/25/96; 1997, Senate Roll Call vote # 109; Jewish News Bulletin of Northern California, 4/5/02]

[mrbowler]

From FactCheck.org:

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Latest barrage of ads repeats misleading claims that Kerry "repeatedly opposed" mainstream weapons.



Misleading Claims

The claims are misleading, as we've pointed out before in articles we posted on Feb. 26 and March 16. The Bush campaign bases its claim mainly on Kerry's votes against overall Pentagon money bills in 1990, 1995 and 1996, but these were not votes against specific weapons. And in fact, Kerry voted for Pentagon authorization bills in 16 of the 19 years he's been in the Senate. So even by the Bush campaign's twisted logic, Kerry should -- on balance -- be called a supporter of the "vital" weapons, more so than an opponent.

[crazytimes]

Interesting...I don't have time to read through all that now but I'll check it out in a bit. I will be perfectly honest, I didn't really do much research about the claims that were made...just assumed they were true. Anyways I'll check them out later.