The Dems still don't get it:
Kennedy places his ace
Apologies to Sen. Durbin. Sen. Kennedy gets the "body count" award,
And it gets worse...
October 25, 2005
KENNEDY FLOOR STATEMENT ON DEATH OF 2000 AMERICAN SOLDIERS
(As Prepared for Delivery)
**Fact sheet included FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Laura Capps/Melissa Wagoner (202) 224-2633
Mr. President, as of today, 2000 American soldiers have been killed in combat in Iraq.
Since last January's election in Iraq, we have lost 565 American soldiers. 74 of those soldiers have been killed in October -- an average of three a day. An additional 15,220 have been wounded, and more than 7,000 of whom were unable to return to combat.
The youngest of America's fallen soldiers was just 18. The oldest was 59. Nearly three quarters had not even celebrated their 30th birthday. They came from every state in the nation. This includes 38 soldiers from my own state of Massachusetts.
And it gets worse...
posted by Jay Cline | 12:26 PM
1 Comments:
October 25, 2005
KENNEDY FLOOR STATEMENT ON DEATH OF 2000 AMERICAN SOLDIERS
(As Prepared for Delivery)
**Fact sheet included FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Laura Capps/Melissa Wagoner (202) 224-2633
Mr. President, as of today, 2000 American soldiers have been killed in combat in Iraq.
Since last January's election in Iraq, we have lost 565 American soldiers. 74 of those soldiers have been killed in October -- an average of three a day. An additional 15,220 have been wounded, and more than 7,000 of whom were unable to return to combat.
The youngest of America's fallen soldiers was just 18. The oldest was 59. Nearly three quarters had not even celebrated their 30th birthday. They came from every state in the nation. This includes 38 soldiers from my own state of Massachusetts.
They are the best of America, and we're proud of each one. Although I disagree with the President about Iraq, I honor the service and sacrifice and dedication of each of these brave men and women.
Our armed forces are serving ably in Iraq under enormously difficult circumstances and the policy of our government must be worthy of their sacrifice. Unfortunately, it is not, and the American people know it.
Our soldiers in Iraq need more than happy talk about progress from the President. They need more than a public relations campaign.
They need an effective plan to end the violence, and stabilize Iraq, so they can come home with dignity and honor.
Reality is hard medicine to swallow. Facts are stubborn things. As the Valerie Plame case makes increasingly clear, the administration stopped at nothing to cover up its misguided and dishonest decision to go to war, and our servicemen and women, their families, and friends are paying an unacceptable price. They deserve better -- much better from their President and so does the nation. It was wrong for the President to rush to war for such a deeply questionable cause. President Bush once said that the war in Iraq was a catastrophic success. He's half right in one sense. The war has been a catastrophe—for our soldiers and their families, for the war on terrorism, and for America's standing in the world. It has made the United States more hated in the world than at any other time in our history.
Beyond the cost in human lives and to our national security, there has been an enormous financial cost.
American taxpayers are spending $195 million each day in Iraq.
For the cost of fighting the war in Iraq for one day, we could make significant improvements in homeland security.
We could provide 4 million American households with emergency readiness kits. We could close the crisis communications technology gap for 41 small cities, 36 mid-sized cities, or 6 large cities, so that federal, state and local first responders can talk to one another during an emergency.
We could purchase 780 fire trucks for improving local emergency response capabilities, and we could employ 5,000 fire fighters, 4,000 police patrol officers, or 7,000 paramedics and emergency medical technicians for one year each.
For the cost of fighting the war in Iraq one day, we could double the federal budget for nuclear reactor safety and security inspections to ensure that these potential terrorist targets are adequately protected.
We could pay for 1,100 additional border patrol agents to better guard our borders against potential terrorists.
We could provide 9,700 port container inspection units to detect hazardous materials being trafficked into the country.
Obviously, the $195 million a day we spend in Iraq could be better spent on the all-important areas of jobs, education, and health care, which the Senate is debating today. Instead of spending those funds in Iraq, we could spend them on better teachers, better financial aid for college students better health care for families, and countless other priorities whose budgets are being cut back because of Iraq. I ask unanimous consent that a document I've prepared outlining the various ways $195 million dollars a day could be spent on pressing priorities at home be added to the record.
Instead of covering up mistakes in Iraq, it is time for the President to admit them, to adopt an effective strategy to end this war and begin to bring our troops home, and to stop ignoring the very real priorities facing the nation and the many many challenges facing us at home and abroad.
The Real Cost of the Iraq War to American Taxpayers $195 million per day
For the cost of fighting the war in Iraq one day, we could…
HOMELAND SECURITY
• One day in Iraq could provide 3.97 million households with an emergency readiness kit. • One day in Iraq could close the financing gap for interoperable communications in 41 small cities, 36 mid-sized cities, or 6 large cities so that federal, state and local first responders can talk to one another during an emergency. • One day in Iraq could purchase 780 fire trucks for improving local emergency response capabilities. • One day in Iraq could employ 4,919 fire fighters, 4,222 police patrol officers, or 7,052 paramedics and emergency medical technicians for one year each. • One day in Iraq could double the federal budget for nuclear reactor safety and security inspections to ensure that these potential terrorist targets are adequately protected. • One day in Iraq could pay for 1,101 additional border patrol agents to better guard our borders against potential terrorists. • One day in Iraq could provide 9,750 port container inspection units to detect hazardous materials being trafficked into the country. • One day in Iraq could provide 1,332 explosive trace detection portals for airport screening of passengers, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission. • One day in Iraq could provide 6,290 local law enforcement agencies a bomb-detecting robot. • One day in Iraq could provide 4,875 narcotics vapor and particle detectors.
EDUCATION
• One day in Iraq could cover the full cost of attendance for one year at a public college for more than 17,100 students. • One day in Iraq could provide more than 79,000 needy college students with a Pell grant. • One day in Iraq could enroll 27,000 more children in Head Start. • One day in Iraq could employ 4,269 elementary school teachers or 4,027 secondary school teachers for one year.
HEALTH CARE
• One day in Iraq could provide health insurance coverage to 344,500 working Americans to give them a break from the rising cost of coverage. • One day in Iraq could provide health insurance coverage for one year to 380,900 uninsured children in America. • One day in Iraq could employ 3,597 additional registered nurses for one year. • One day in Iraq could immunize every person over 65 in the U.S. against influenza 4.6 times over. • One day in Iraq could immunize every baby born in the U.S. last year against measles, mumps, and rubella 14.2 times.
LABOR
• One day in Iraq could provide unemployment benefits for almost 722,000 unemployed Americans for one week. • One day in Iraq could fund Social Security retirement benefits for one day for over 6.75 million Americans. • One day in Iraq could provide comprehensive safety and health training to 121,875 workers. • One day in Iraq could pay for an increase of $3.34 per hour in the wages of every minimum wage worker in the country. • One day in Iraq could provide paid sick leave to half a million workers for an entire year.
BASIC NEEDS
• One day in Iraq could buy 71.55 million gallons of unleaded regular gasoline. • One day in Iraq could pay for one year's gasoline consumption for 97,500 Americans, even at today's elevated prices. • One day in Iraq could buy 63.1 million gallons of fortified whole milk. • One day in Iraq could buy 166.6 million cartons of large Grade A Eggs sold by the dozen.
INTERNATIONAL
• One day in Iraq is equivalent to half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country of East Timor. • One day in Iraq could feed all of the starving children in the world today almost four and a half times over. • One day in Iraq could vaccinate three-quarters of the children in Africa for measles and give millions a lifetime protection from the disease. • One day in Iraq could build 5,571 AIDS clinics in Africa. • One day in Iraq could provide 650,000 women in Africa living with HIV/AIDS antiretroviral treatment for one year to extend their lives and improve the lives of their children. • One day in Iraq could provide one third of the aid needed for earthquake relief for the four million people affected in South Asia.
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