ChezLark

I was listening to Alternative Radio on NPR this evening and it featured a speaker arguing for the impeachment of President Bush. As part of his preamble, he read from a speech that Senator Robert Byrd delivered in the Senate during the deliberation over the empowerment of President Bush to invade Iraq. The relevant portions are included in this report:

Byrd used a quote to begin his final speech:

“It is the leaders of a country who determine the policy. It is always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship, a parliament or a communist dictatorship, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders….

“All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for a lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.”

Byrd then identified its author: “Herman Goering, founder of the Gestapo, president of the Reichstag, convicted war criminal.”

The emphasis is mine. I was struck by how prescient this choice of quotation was.