Mulling over John Edwards` "Silence is betrayal."

[democrank]

"Silence is betrayal."

Those words today hit me like a ton of bricks today. All of a sudden I came to understand exactly what it was that I`ve been feeling as soldiers died and politicians regurgitated their talking points. While hooded men were flown off to torture chambers and search warrants were deemed unnecessary. While lies about WMDs were followed by lies about "We`re winning."

I thought about how media starlets gushed over Tom Cruise while death visited Darfur. How families stuffed in hurricane campers lost out to the winner of American Idol and how the hole still at Ground Zero became less important than a spat between Donald and Rosie. And, I thought about all those soldiers going to Iraq for the second, third or fourth tour while some politicians complained about the increase to their former two-day work week.

Through all this there was a whole lot of silence. It hurt my ears. Bothered me. There was brief chatter about the theory of unitary executive and Bush`s abuse of signing statements. A word here or there about our obscene national debt or the use of White Phosphorus in Fallujah, but mostly there was silence. Apparently many politicians were busy consulting with their handlers, putting their wet fingers to the wind and searching for a path toward the middle ground, that safe haven so loved by consultants.

Edwards` stark words were as welcome as a cool drink after laboring in the fields all day or having my windshield washed after the salt truck passed. I treasured those words as much as finding that lost something I can`t live without. He reminded me that it is perfectly normal to expect chosen leaders to scream "FIRE" when there is one rather than make a secret call to ask if they should say anything. Those words today made something perfectly clear to me....I will never again support a candidate who is so busy calculating that he/she has no time for speaking the truth.

[tavalon]

1. I didn't see the speech you are talking about

But your discussion about America's love affair with gossip is so true. It's so disgusting.

[ultraist]

2. VIDEO: Edwards' speech at historic Riverside Church

You can watch videos of the speech here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=johnedwards

[Just-plain-Kathy]

3. I have a slow internet connection, so I won't even try You tube...

Please tell me, in Edwards' "Silence is Betrayal" speech, did he open up about PNAC and war profiteering? Did he talk about the mega embassy we built in Iraq? Did he attack Bush for tying funding the troops with billions for reconstructing Iraq?

If he broke the silence about Bush's crimes, I would be proud to vote for him.

[benny05]

4. No, he didn't talk about it there

He talked about the solution to urge Congress to stop the President from making another terrible mistake via not funding the McCain Doctrine, and he talked about taking action against global poverty and to call for Universal Health Care.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

5. thanks benny05,

I’m just waiting for one of the 2008 hopefuls to start getting down to the nitty-gritty; and expose bush and cheney for who they are.

Until then, they're all silently betraying us.

[ultraist]

6. Edwards is opposed to permanent bases in Iraq

Edwards did not spend any time on Bush or his ilk. This was afterall a service to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and the focus of Senator Edwards speech was in the spirit of MLK JR and his call to the people to take action and to break the silence.


A blogger has posted a transcript of the speech (that I believe he did himself). Read it here: http://ourprez08.journalspace.com/?cmd=displaycomments&dcid=341&entryid=341

Edwards has said many times what a horrific mess Bush has made of the war but he has also pinned blame where it's rightly due, on McCain and thus, coined the term, "McCain Doctrine."

[elizm]

7. Those words are calling...

...All who will come to march on Washington, DC on January 27th.