Take it away, Ryan

This video is amazing. It shows Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio, on the House floor taking Bush to task for lying about the draft. He says that everything about this war has been untruthful, and that's why college students don't believe the President's stonewalling on military manpower needs. Howard Dean, who is running a petition asking Bush to describe how he's going to continue his war without a draft, is someone to whom the Democrats owe a huge debt of gratitude. He has, for better or worse, made it politically palatable to openly question the motivations of this administration, a la Krugman. I did not support Dean in the primary, but I thank him now. Anyway, watch the video.

(via Ohio CountDown, cross-posted on BOP, and thanks to reader Beltway)



Display:


uggg... (none / 0)

...need quicktime or real player version now...mac windows media player not compatible...
by cgilbert01 on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 01:28:01 PM EST

Re: uggg... (none / 0)

indeed...there is no sound on a mac.
by lisainvan on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 02:16:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

CSPAN and Blogs (none / 0)

The circulating of this video via MyDD shows how blogs can so effectively -- and efficiently -- complement video.  

C-Span (as Gingrich understood) changed the rules of the Congresssional game.  By circulating video snippets from CSPAN and elsewhere, progressive bloggers are changing the rules again.  Based on the viral spreading of clips like this one, I bet that soon members of Congress will start 'playing' to the Blogs, the way that Gingrich et al 'played' to the CSPAN cameras.

FYI, folks are welcome to comment on a new Blog based at Middlebury College: The Internet and Democracy

by jisham on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 02:43:11 PM EST

He ripped the neo-Bolsheviks a new one (none / 0)

If Representative Ryan can convey that sentiment to the people of Ohio, then the election is in the bag. I want to also join with the other posters by saying that the "blog" world (how I hate that word) has already surpassed the mainstream media in terms of delivering content rather than delivering us to the corporate advertisers.

If Kerry can artfully make the same case on Friday then he will hoist W by his own "character" petard. Americans would rather have a President that follows their mood, tahn a lunatic that can't face reality.

by Paul Goodman on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 02:56:36 PM EST

Wow (none / 0)

That is amazing
by clawed on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 03:58:43 PM EST

Bush could have been caught flat-footed if (none / 0)

Kerry - not just Edwards or Dean - had gotten out ahead on this issue, stating Read my lips: No new draft just to clean up Bush's mess in Iraq. I argued for it in a couple of Diaries on Kos and a couple of threads on Sozadee.com.

It was red meat then. Now it's stale, almost carrion.

by The Messenger on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 04:28:53 PM EST

Re: Take it away, Ryan (none / 0)

I think this is so important.  It not only addresses the draft, but it succinctly sets out many of the lies the Administration has told.  Any way you can put this on the top of the page for a day?  Karen
by ksh on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 04:31:03 PM EST

No Sound (none / 0)

Can someone post a transcript?  I have a Mac.
by PA8th on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 05:02:16 PM EST

MP3 of audio only (none / 0)

For anyone who couldn't see/hear it, here's an MP3 of the audio (1:46, 1.3MB). The quality is mediocre, and there's a jump in the middle which was in the video too, but you hear all you really need.

Wow. Get him and Jeff Seemann in the same room and you've got some angry young Democratic power.

by drewthaler on Thu Oct 07, 2004 at 07:26:13 PM EST

torrent file created (none / 0)

hey I started a torrent file of the ripped .wmv file at my website: http://www.cryptocity.net/~dan/archives/2004/10/tim_ryan_draft.html
by infiniteedge on Fri Oct 08, 2004 at 12:40:39 AM EST

Here's the transcript (none / 0)

Following is the transcript of the Ryan video:

RYAN:  I thank the gentlemen.  I rise in opposition of this bill.  But I would like to clarify something....we're not trying to scare kids.  This president's foreign policy is what's scaring the kids of this country.  And (inaudible) people have said today "why are people believing this, why are people believing this big Internet hoax?"  Well....

(break in video)

RYAN:  ....that told us Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11.  Same people that told us Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.  Same people that told us we were gonna be able to use the oil for reconstruction money.  Same people that told us that we'd be greeted as liberators, not occupiers.  Same people, same president, that told us the Taliban is gone.  Same president that told us that Poland is our ally two days before they pull out.  Same president that tells us Iraq is going just great.  

Same president that tells us the economy is going just great.  Same people that told us the tax cut was gonna create millions of jobs.  Same people that told us that the Medicare program only costs $400 billion, when it really cost $540 billion.  

So please forgive us for not believing what you're saying.  Please forgive the students of this country for not believing what you're saying.  Not one thing, not one thing, about this war that has been told to the American people, or that has been told to these college students, has been true.  Not one thing.  Bremmer says we need more troops.  The Pentagon says we need more troops.  And this president can't get `em from the international community.  There's only one option left.  Let's be honest with the American people.  I yield back the (inaudible)

END                        

by lathrop on Fri Oct 08, 2004 at 02:27:28 PM EST

www.isebrand.com x-posting to MyDD on this (none / 0)

Great job! I'm posting over to you re: this video clip. Thanks for the great work!!!!!

Scott
Isebrand.com

Isebrand.com and Religious Right Watch
by IseFire on Fri Oct 08, 2004 at 02:40:41 PM EST

What a crock... (none / 0)

So Tim Ryan admits this is a hoax yet blames it on the President?  FACT CHECK - This Draft hoax was started by Charles Range of NY a DEMOCRAT.

Since Tim Ryan is so full of questions, why doesn't he answer the questions about his time at BBSU - instead of trying to seal his records!

Tim Ryan is a do-nothing opportunist with little or no experience pulling the wool over the Mahoning Valley voters !!

by the1toask on Tue Oct 12, 2004 at 10:51:24 PM EST

Tim Ryan--Excellent (none / 0)

Sums up my feelings about this administration.

In regards to the comment where the person dimissed the 'draft' as a hoax, started by a Dem from NY.

One only needs to look at two things when contemplating the likelyhood of a draft:

  1. Bush's attitude towards pre-emptive war.  If he is in for 4 more years, we will find ourselves in another war.

  2. Logistics, there are hardly enough numbers in the military to sustain Iraq now, let alone another war.

It is fact that the military is stretched thin.  It is fact we won't get aid (or sufficient aid) from allies.  That leaves us, like Mr. Ryan said, with only one option.  

This administration has no problem carrying out their agenda against all odds.  And one has a serious case of near-sightedness if they think they won't draft.

by soulpole on Wed Oct 20, 2004 at 03:57:34 PM EST


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