RIP Sen. Robert Byrd

I will always remember his impassioned speech against Bush's Iraq war ... It was 30 minutes of the most gripping oratory you'll ever hear ... and delivered at a time when most of the country and his Senate colleagues were drinking the Kool Aid ....

 

Agreed Byrd was one of few who saw through the Bush / Cheney ginned up story on WMD's:

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
- Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002

 

"Sigh" is fucking right!
The man WAS a member of the KKK - more than 60 years ago, before the age of 30.
And he has been apologizing for it since the 1950s. For fuck's sake - the guy has been a damned U.S. Senator longer than many of you have been alive. He never killed anybody (Ted Kennedy). He never lied under oath (Pres. Clinton). He never dodged military service (Pres. G. Bush II). And outside of his Klan membership (which occurred in his 20s!) Byrd has never been involved in a single scandal (sexual, criminal or otherwise), unlike sooo many of his Congressional counterparts, including John McCain.
He lived a good life and was a tremendous servant to the state of West By God and the country, but let's trot his KKK membership from the 1940s and (sigh) flog (again) him as a racist.
Got anything more recent?
Anything?
'Cause this is (really) old news - as is the fact Byrd has been apologizing for his membership and the beliefs associated with that membership - since the 50s.

 

In a March 4, 2001 interview with Tony Snow, Byrd said of race relations:
“ They're much, much better than they've ever been in my lifetime... I think we talk about race too much. I think those problems are largely behind us... I just think we talk so much about it that we help to create somewhat of an illusion. I think we try to have good will. My old mom told me, 'Robert, you can't go to heaven if you hate anybody.' We practice that. There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time, if you want to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much.

 

Well, his legacy will live on. It's like Spaceballs.
Robert Byrd, the highway
Robert Byrd, the senior center
Robert Byrd, the mining technology center
Robert Byrd, the overpass
Robert Byrd, the bridge
Robert Byrd, the university building

RIP, king o' pork.

 

That is fine but it's also fair if looking back to view his entire body of work.

 

Which Dem did RCB endorse for president during the last election? Wanna guess?


How about RCB explaining why he was wrong in his beliefs opposing Civil Rights?

 

A leopard doesn't change its spots and a Klansman always has a clean sheet. Yes he was a a great Senator but he was still a former member of the Klan. His allegiance to that gang can't be ignored. Sorry.

 

That's fine advice, but if Byrd had followed it, he'd have never been elected to public office in the first place.

The Klan was the base from which he launched his political career.

 

You don't understand. Once Boom pulls out the Iraq quotes for the 1,494th time, it's QED.

Don't you remember Bill Clinton invading Iraq? Aren't you aware the Senate had its own intelligence agency and didn't have to depend on Bush's CIA?