Posted on 01/20/2005 9:06:44 AM PST by kattracks
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi found herself on the defensive Thursday morning over the decision by Senate Democrats to put former Ku Klux Klansman, Sen. Robert Byrd, in charge of efforts to derail the confirmation of Secretary of State-nominee Condoleezza Rice.
"I don't think that whatever Sen. Byrd is doing has anything to do with his sad past," Pelosi told WWRL radio hosts Steve Malzberg and Karen Hunter. Instead, said the San Francisco Democrat, the one-time Grand Kleagel was acting out of concern that the advise and consent role of the Senate in presidential appointments was being overlooked.
In a move that was seen by many as an insult to the first black woman ever appointed Secretary of State, Sen. Byrd announced his decision to hold up her confirmation late Wednesday, saying it needed more debate before the full Senate.
Rep. Pelosi insisted that Byrd's extraordinary move had nothing to do with his long history of public racism, but was instead a reflection of his opposition to the Iraq war.
"They're confirming a Secretary of State in a time of war. [Byrd's] views on the war and his opposition to it are well known," she said.
Still, Byrd's "sad history," as Pelosi described it, makes him a particularly bad choice to lead the assault on Rice.
As recently as 2001, the West Virginia Democrat was forced to apologize after blurting out during a nationally televised interview, "There are white n****rs, I've seen a lot of white n****rs in my time. I'm going to use that word."
In 1972, Byrd pushed to have the Senate's main office building named after Dixiecrat Sen. Richard Russell - a leading opponent of anti-lynching legislation who Byrd called "my mentor."
Byrd filibustered the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act for 14 straight hours.
Three years after he said he'd left his white-sheeted brethren behind, he wrote to Georgia's Grand Imperial Wizard urging: "The Klan is needed today as never before."
Sen. Byrd was also a fierce opponent of desegregating the military, complaining in one letter ."I should rather die a thousand times and see old glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again than see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen of the wilds."
"Looks like they found it, The Racism of the Democrats of the 50s and 60s. Who better to lead them than the KKK man himself Robert Byrd."
They are absolutely suicidal in their blatant racism against GW choices.
This is great. Now we can educate the younger Americans about how racist the Rat Party has been since the Civil War.
This is a great opportunity for us. Handled right it'll get one of the 5 Senate seats we need.
This whole effort is pathetic. There's no reason to hold Condi Rice hostage so that Senators that most of the American public ignore can make speeches.
That said, let them put Byrd in charge. Then everyone who supports the Bush Administration can make sure that Byrd's past is well-publicized. Let's do it, because the news media isn't going to do it.
Far as we know he's STILL a member in good standing.
Just in case you didn't see this yet,....
I bet if Hitler were a Democrat they'd celebrate his birthday in the Democratic/Socialist Nazi Party.
It's the NAALCP ("L" standing for liberal) and they're where they've always been of late: crying "wolfism".
Why can't the MAJORITY REPUBLICANS over rule this racist. Why can't they demand that she be voted in now. Don't they have ANY control or say over ANYTHING? They have all said that she will be confirmed. Why are they allowing this?
Isn't one of byrd's daughters married to an Arab? I seem to remember reading that somewhere. I think the arab family is communications of many kinds and super wealthy. I guess it depends on the wealth of mongrelizing a race? By the way I'm a mongrel.
Can you imagine the howling and outrage by the leftist media and Dems in congress if Trent Lott was put into the same position?
Pelosi is such a lameazz
Oh, this is the BEST! The Democrats are unraveling and every thread they try to pull tears off more of the mask. Dr. Rice is too smart and savy to be bothered by this. They are fools and the whole world is seeing it.
Byrd belongs to another era. One that is, mercifully, about to end.
Overt racists will never again gain election to public office. Democrats will continue to elect covert racists, however.
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