Stop 'enabling' Bush, Edwards says (speech at Dartmouth)

[JohnLocke]

Stop 'enabling' Bush, Edwards says
By John P. Gregg--(Concord, NH) Valley News
Thurday, February 1, 2007
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Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards yesterday called for Congress to stand up to President Bush and stop a troop increase in Iraq. The appearance in Hanover was part of a campaign designed to portray the former North Carolina senator as a leader willing to speak the simple, sobering truth.
"We have to stop enabling George Bush," Edwards said in a speech at Dartmouth College that drew about 800 people, some of them in an overflow room served by video of the event. "It's not enough to pass nonbinding resolutions against the escalation. . . . It's time to stop this troop escalation, and Congress has the power to do it."
Edwards also called for major policy changes by the United States to combat global warming, implementation of universal health care and U.S. action to stop the genocide in Darfur.
"It is now clear to me that baby steps, incremental change, is not enough. We need transformational change," Edwards said.
If elected president, Edwards said, in his first 100 days in office he would "travel the world," meeting with political leaders and speaking to the foreign public -- recalling President Kennedy's Cold War speech in Berlin -- to re-establish America as a moral beacon. And he said the changes needed also require sacrifice and active commitment from American citizens.
"The United States of America is better than this, and the rest of the world needs to see our humanity," Edwards said. "It's time for us to be patriotic about something other than war."
Gone were biographical references to Edwards's upbringing in North Carolina as the son of a mill worker, or his work as a trial attorney on behalf of dispossessed clients, staples of his 2004 campaign speeches.
And noticeably absent was any of the type of equivocation that doomed the 2004 Democratic nominee, John Kerry, who picked Edwards to be his running mate but then, many Democrats feel, didn't adequately use his talents on the campaign trail.
(...)
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Read the rest here.

[Hippo_Tron]

1. Coming from someone who enabled Bush plenty while he was in office I don't buy it

At least not yet. The fact is that Edwards has the luxury of criticizing congress because conveniently he isn't a Senator anymore.

Maybe I'll believe that he's had a change of heart like Bobby Kennedy did, but not for the time being. Bobby Kennedy started opposing the war when the country was deeply divided over it as opposed to Edwards who started opposing it when the country was firmly against it.

[keopeli]

2. "but then, many Democrats feel, didn't adequately use his talents on the campaign trail."

What the heck does that mean? "Many Democrats feel...?" Give me a break - the Democrats will NOT be painted by the press.

In my opinion, Kerry won in 04. Regardless, Edwards was subject to Kerry's plan.

Peace.

[Harper_is_Bush]

3. "enabling"! ha! nice one Eddy. n/t

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Edwards Wants To Keep Our Troops Fresh

For an excellent Iran adventure.

[JohnLocke]

5. ...

Whatever. It's not worth responding to.

:eyes:

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Uh

"For years, the US hasn’t done enough to deal with what I have seen as a threat from Iran. As my country stayed on the sidelines, these problems got worse. To a large extent, the US abdicated its responsibility to the Europeans. This was a mistake... Iran must know world won't back down" - John Edwards

[Skwmom]

8. Oh come on that's not fair. You shouldn't use Edwards own words

against him.

[Skwmom]

6. The IWR cheerleader, whose war rhetoric was even posted on the Bush website

now wants to stop the enablers? ROFL.

Oh and he's doing a great job of deterring Bush from an Iran adventure.

EDWARDS IN HIS OWN WORDS

As to the American people, this is a difficult question. The vast majority of people are concerned about what is going on in Iraq. This will make the American people reticent toward going for Iran. But I think the American people are smart if they are told the truth, and if they trust their president. So Americans can be educated to come along with what needs to be done with Iran."
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Edwards_Iran_must_kno ...

What is the American people reticent to do? Engage in diplomacy? Diplomatic sanctions? I don't think so. Hmmmm, now what would be left on the table...... Hint - it has 3 letters (and one vowel).

[JohnLocke]

9. Kick (nt).