Trio of Democrats Criticizes Bush

Staunch constitutional defender Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W. Va., lambasted the Bush administration’s restrictions on civil liberties in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in a joint appearance with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy ’54-’56, D-Mass., and Gen. Wesley Clark on Tuesday at Cambridge’s First Parish Church.

The event—nominally a discussion of Byrd’s recently released book Losing America: Confronting A Reckless And Arrogant Presidency co-sponsored by Harvard Book Store and Cambridge Forum before a packed house—provided a forum for the trio to aggressively criticize President Bush’s handling of U.S. foreign policy in the spotlight of the Democratic National Convention without the restrictions imposed by candidate John F. Kerry’s campaign staff.

“When I was walking to pick up my I.D. [after retiring from the United States Army], I ran into a colonel, who told me that no one is in charge out there,” Clark said. “And now I know that he was right.”

Kennedy, who along with Clark introduced Byrd prior to his keynote oration, made light of his colleague’s lengthy tenure and his own before kicking off an attack on Bush.

“[Byrd] and I intend to stay in this job until we get the hang of it,” Kennedy joked to the delight of the audience.

Byrd, the third-longest serving member of Congress in American history, berated Bush and his subordinates for overstepping the traditional powers of the executive branch and undermining intragovernmental checks by imposing unprecedented levels of secrecy on their misdeeds.

“The foundations of our government have suffered,” Byrd said. “The liberties enshrined in the Constitution of the United States have been besieged by a presidency that is bent on a ruthless pursuit of power, that sees itself above the law, that relies on secrecy and manipulation in order to advance its own partisan agenda.”

Drawing heavily upon the principles handed down by the United States founders, Byrd argued that no single individual was ever meant to wield such influence over the fate of the nation.

Channeling Federalist Papers co-author James Madison, Byrd expounded the merits of the separation of powers, “the ultimate guarantors of the liberties of the people.”

Byrd did not, however, place the entirety of the blame on the shoulders of Bush and his deputies, instead faulting his fellow members of Congress for failing to fulfill their Constitutional duties, merely kowtowing to the president and his agenda.

“Despite this heritage, the Congress has been, in too many cases, more than willing to walk away from its Constitutional powers,” Byrd said. “We have turned a blind eye to the Bush administration’s ruthless pursuit of power—we scorn those nations which have long been our friends.”

“Members of Congress, especially those in the majority party, do whatever the president wants them to do,” he added. “If he says jump, they jump. If he says be quiet, they—and, sadly, too many in my own party—we remain silent.”

Kennedy credited Byrd’s staunch anti-war stance and impassioned speeches on the floor of the Senate prior to the invasion of Iraq for providing a voice to the masses seeking peaceful resolution of the conflict. Their rapid dispersal over the internet testified to the nature of free speech in the 21st century, he later added.

Byrd explained his resistance in historical terms, framing it as part of a larger, age-old battle against repression in any form.

“Our founding fathers struggled to escape the heavy yoke of one King George,” Byrd said. “We must not acquiesce to the dictates of another. As Brutus said to Cicero when Cicero was attempting to curry special favor of Antony, ‘Our ancestors would have scorned even a gentle master.’”

All three speakers condemned America’s abandonment of international cooperation for the Bush administration’s de facto unilateralism, arguing that it weakened both the United States’ prestige and ability to wage the war on terror successfully.

The Bush administration’s policies “have changed the face of America around the globe from that of a giant peacemaker to that of a schoolyard bully,” Byrd said. “People who once declared strong allegiance with America now question our purpose. That is not America.”

Pointing to Byrd’s example, both Kennedy and Clark encouraged members of the audience to help rein in the Bush administration’s excesses. Though both agreed that most citizens could not be expected to curb government missteps as effectively as Byrd, each argued that a small contribution combined with those of similar-minded individuals could vote Kerry into the White House.

“It is the soldier’s responsibility to follow the orders or the Commander in Chief,” Clark said. “And most wouldn’t have it any other way. But [providing a check on the president] is the responsibility of every citizen.”

Byrd emphatically echoed that sentiment, calling upon the audience to overcome the bitter partisanship that currently divides America and to launch a coordinated effort to prevent “the dimming of freedom’s flame.”

Mirroring his comments on the duties of his Congressional colleagues, Byrd emphasized the importance of exercising those freedoms of expression and thought curtailed by the current administration’s policies.

“A single act of bravery can lead an army against great odds,” Byrd said. “The strength of a single individual can give hope to the hopeless, voice to the voiceless, power to the powerless. And the precious light of liberty will once again burn brightly.”

“This is the hour of decision,” he added. “Let us fight to save our country.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. McGinn can be reached at mcginn@fas.harvard.edu.