January 14, 2007
Edwards To Cong. Dems: "Silence Is Betrayal"
John Edwards' campaign provided excerpts of his Sunday Harlem speech commemorating MLK in Harlem. He's speaking at the same church MLK spoke at in '67 when he came out against the Vietnam War.
Forty years ago, almost to the month, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood at this pulpit, in this house of God, and with the full force of his conscience, his principles and his love of peace, denounced the war in Vietnam, calling it a tragedy that threatened to drag our nation down to dust.As he put it then, there comes a time when silence is a betrayal -- not only of one's personal convictions, or even of one's country alone, but also of our deeper obligations to one another and to the brotherhood of man.
That's the thing I find the most important about the sermon Dr. King delivered here that day. He did not direct his demands to the government of the United States, which was escalating the war. He issued a direct appeal to the people of the United States, calling on us to break our own silence, and to take responsibility for bringing about what he called a revolution of values.
* * *
Escalation is not the answer, and our generals will be the first to tell you so. The answer is for the Iraqi people and others in the region to take responsibility for rebuilding their own country. If we want them to take responsibility, we need to show them that we are serious about leaving - and the best way to do that is actually to start leaving and immediately withdraw 40-50,000 troops.
That is why I have spoken out against the McCain Doctrine of escalation. That's why Congress must step up and stop the president from putting more troops in harm's way.
If you're in Congress and you know this war is going in the wrong direction, it is no longer enough to study your options and keep your own counsel. Silence is betrayal. Speak out, and stop this escalation now. You have the power to prohibit the president from spending any money to escalate the war - use it.
Posted at 04:58 PM
Comments
Edwards is not making a political attack on Hillary or anyone else. He is echoing the moral wisdom of a great leader, Martin Luther King. There are times when silence IS betrayal. This is one of them. The silent ones should speak up against the war, not against Edwards, who is showing some courage on this issue.
Charles Sullivan | 01.15.07 02:20 PM
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Bill Frist is the first "Interview With Great Americans"? Say what? It's obvious where this video site is headed, isn't it? Instead of asking, "Can you say Bill Frist," you should be asking, "Can you say regressive Republicans?"
MarchDancer | 01.15.07 07:59 PM
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