Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Fri., July 30, 2004
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 7-30-04
PRSS Channel: A67.7
Kerry Accepts Nomination: Vows to Increase Military By 40,000
& Double No. of Special Forces
Flashback: A Rare Broadcast of John Kerry's 1971 Speech Against
the Vietnam War Before the Senate
A July Surprise? Pakistan Announces Arrest of Top Al Qaeda
Figure Hours Before Kerry Speech
Hundreds Protest DNC in Boston; Two-Faced Effigy of Bush
& Kerry Burned
DNC Delegate Arrested After Being Refused Entry To Fleet
Center
Democracy Now! Confronts Madeline Albright on the Iraq Sanctions:
Was It Worth The Price?
Democratic National Convention Chair Bill Richardson Questioned
on the Party's Pro-War Stance
Kweisi Mfume on President Bush's Refusal to Address the NAACP
Kerry Accepts Nomination: Vows to Increase Military
By 40,000 & Double No. of Special Forces
Like the speech of his running mate John Edwards the night
before, Kerry's speech could hardly be characterized as antiwar.
Rather Kerry criticized President Bush for how he has chosen
to go to war. The tone for Kerry's speech was set when he
took to the stage, held his hand up and saluted the crowd
and said "I"m John Kerry and I"m reporting
for duty." [includes rush
transcript]
Welcome to Democracy Now! Breaking With Convention: War,
Peace and the Presidency, broadcasting from Cambridge Community
Television just across the river from Boston"s FleetCenter,
where the Democratic National Convention has concluded with
John Kerry formally accepting his party"s nomination
to run against President Bush in the November election. Last
night Kerry delivered his most important speech to date in
the campaign. Like the speech of his running mate John Edwards
the night before, Kerry"s speech could hardly be characterized
as antiwar. Rather Kerry criticized President Bush for HOW
he has chosen to go to war. The tone for Kerry"s speech
was set when he took to the stage, held his hand up and saluted
the crowd and said "I"m John Kerry and I"m
reporting for duty." He said his message to the US military
was that help is on the way. Kerry pledged to increase the
number of active soldiers in the military by 40,000 and to
double the number of US Special Forces. Kerry"s speech
lasted some 55 minutes and was interrupted many times by applause.
As Kerry spoke last night, hundreds of people protested against
the occupation of Iraq in the streets outside. Here is John
Kerry.
- John Kerry, speaking at the Democratic National Convention,
accepting his party's nomination.
John Kerry speaking last night as he formally accepted the
Democratic Party nomination to run against President Bush.
After his speech a hundred thousand balloons fell from the
rafters, confetti covered the arena as the revellers danced
as U2"s song "Beautiful Day" blared from the
FleetCenter"s massive sound system. As Kerry spoke inside,
hundreds of people continued to protest in the streets. A
few hours before Kerry took the stage, hundreds of protesters
faced off with riot police. After they had dragged one young
man down the street and another protester was slammed against
the ground, two young women knealed between the demonstrators
and a phalanx of riot police guarding the main route used
by delegates and others entering the FleetCenter.
Flashback: A Rare Broadcast of John Kerry's 1971
Speech Against the Vietnam War Before the Senate
Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the young
Vietnam veteran says: "Someone has to die so that President
Nixon won't be, and these are his words, "the first President
to lose a war... how do you ask a man to be the last man to
die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to
die for a mistake?" [includes rush
transcript]
John Kerry returned from Vietnam in April 1969, having won
early transfer out of the conflict because of his three Purple
Hearts. He had also won a Silver Star.
When Kerry returned home, over 540,000 U.S. troops were deployed
in Vietnam. Some 33,400 had been killed, and the number of
protests in the U.S. was surging. Kerry gradually became active
in the antiwar movement.
After working behind the scenes and making a few little-noticed
appearances at rallies, he joined a group called Vietnam Veterans
Against the War.
In January 1971, the organization held a series of hearings
in Detroit called the "Winter Soldier Investigation"
in which soldiers returning home testified about their experiences
in Vietnam. Kerry did not speak at that event, but it did
provide the basis for the testimony John Kerry would give
some 3 months later before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Television cameras lined the walls, and veterans packed the
seats. Kerry was 27 years old and dressed in his green fatigues
and Silver Star and Purple Heart ribbons. On April 22, 1971,
he sat at a witness table and delivered the most famous speech
of his life. It was to become the speech that defined him
and make possible his political career.
Overnight, he emerged as one of the most recognized veterans
in America. Pacifica Radio played his speech on the air. Today,
we will play a rare broadcast of that speech. From the Pacifica
Radio Archives, this is John Kerry in 1971.
A July Surprise? Pakistan Announces Arrest of Top
Al Qaeda Figure Hours Before Kerry Speech
The timing of the disclosure rekindles controversy surrounding
an earlier report by the New Republic that the White House
was pressuring Pakistan to produce a "high value target"
in July during the Democratic convention. We talk to New Republic
editor John Judis. [includes rush
transcript]
John Kerry delivering his acceptance speech at the Democratic
National Convention in Boston last night. Just hours before
his address, Pakistan announced the arrest of a top al-Qaeda
suspect that made headline news across the world.
The man, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, is a key suspect in the
1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa that killed
more than 200 people, including 12 American citizens. He is
the most senior al Qaeda operative caught in Pakistan since
the arrest in March 2003 of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected
mastermind of the Sept. 11. attacks.
The timing of the disclosure may rekindle controversy surrounding
an earlier report alleging White House pressure on Pakistan
to produce a "high value target" in July when the
Democratic convention was to kick off.
Pakistani officials say Ghailani was captured last Sunday,
during a 14-hour gunbattle in the town of Gujrat. Ghailani
was on the FBI”s list of 22 “most wanted terrorists”
after being indicted in New York over the bombings of the
American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. A reward
of up to $25 million had been offered by the U.S. for Ghaili”s
capture - the same bounty offered for Osama bin Laden.
It remains unclear how long Pakistani authorities knew Ghailani”s
identity before releasing the news, four days after apprehending
him. In the July 19 edition of The New Republic, several unnamed
Pakistani security officials said the Bush administration
has been privately bearing down on the Pakistani government
to capture Osama bin Laden, his deputy, Ayman Al Zawahiri,
or the Taliban”s Mullah before U.S. elections in November.
One source in the report said a White House aide suggested
to Pakistan”s intelligence chief that the first three
days of the Democratic convention would be the "best"
timing.
We are joined on the phone by John Judis, senior editor at
The New Republic and author of the article entitled "Pakistan
for Bush: July Surprise?"
Hundreds Protest DNC in Boston; Two-Faced Effigy
of Bush & Kerry Burned
On the last day of the Democratic convention Thursday, several
hundred protesters wound through downtown Boston and stopped
at the iron gates guarding the DNC. They refused to go to
the police-sanctioned protest pen which is enclosed in barbed
wire fencing. [includes rush
transcript]
Demonstrators from a group called the Bl(a)ck Tea Society,
began the demonstrations near Copley Square at midday. The
protesters eventually wound up near the FleetCenter, where
they set fire to a two-faced effigy of President Bush and
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. The protesters
faced off with an equal number of police and other secuity
personell one block away from where delegates were entering
the convention. Three protesters were arrested were arrested
by police officers donning shin protectors, padded vests and
helmets. The city of Boston has spent $50 million on security
for the convention, mobilizing some 5,000 law-enforcement
officers from two-dozen local, state and federal agencies.
Democracy Now! was at the scene of the protest yesterday at
the gates of the FleetCenter.
DNC Delegate Arrested After Being Refused Entry To
Fleet Center
A look at how one delegate went to the Fleet Center to attend
the last night of the convention and ended up in jail after
being denied entry. [includes rush
transcript]
Democracy Now! was inside the FleetCenter to cover Kerry's
speech but the halls of the convention filled up quickly and
security personel shut off access to the floor a full three
hours before Kerry's address. Fire marshalls and police special
forces barred spectators, journalists and even elected delegates
with the proper passes from getting up the escalators to get
to the convention floor. Police forces then formed a line
and forced people out of the building and onto the street.
One delegate from Oklahoma standing at the foot of the escalator
quietly refused to leave.
Democracy Now! Confronts Madeline Albright on the
Iraq Sanctions: Was It Worth The Price?
In May of 1996, 60 Minutes aired an interview with Madeline
Albright, who at the time was Clinton"s UN Ambassador.
Correspondent Leslie Stahl said to Albright, "We have
heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's
more children than died in Hiroshima. And -- and you know,
is the price worth it?" Democracy Now bumped into Albright
yesterday and asked for her response. [includes rush
transcript]
This week here in Boston, much of the focus of discussion
among the delegates on the floor has centered around opposition
to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. And while the sentiments
among the delegates are overwhelmingly anti-war and anti-occupation,
that has not been reflected from the speakers podium. In fact,
both John Kerry and John Edwards gave speeches that could
be characterized as prowar. And while the democratic base
is antiwar, that has not been the record of John Kerry during
this campaign. In fact Kerry began his bid for the presidency
running as a pro-war candidate. It was only after Howard Dean
tapped into the antiwar sentiment that Kerry began adopting
antiwar rhetoric.
Some veteran Iraq observers say that it was the Clinton administration
that set the tone for the Bush administration"s invasion
of Iraq. It was Clinton who began the most sustained bombing
campaign since Vietnam, when, in 1998, he began almost daily
attacks on Iraq in the so-called no-fly zones. And in 1998,
Clinton"s administration made so-called regime change
in Iraq official US policy.
During his presidency, Bill Clinton presided over the most
devestating regime of economic sanctions in history that the
UN estimated took the lives of as many as a million Iraqis,
the vast majority of them children. In May of 1996, 60 Minutes
aired an interview with Madeline Albright, who at the time
was Clinton"s UN Ambassador. Correspondent Leslie Stahl
said to Albright, "We have heard that a half million
children have died. I mean, that"s more children than
died in Hiroshima. And -- and you know, is the price worth
it?"
Madeline Albright replied "I think this is a very hard
choice, but the price -- we think the price is worth it."
Last night as people filed out of the convention after John
Kerry"s speech, we spotted Madeline Albright.
Democratic National Convention Chair Bill Richardson
Questioned on the Party's Pro-War Stance
Amy Goodman tracks down the governor of New Mexico to question
him on the Iraq invasion. [includes rush
transcript]
The floor was littered with confetti and signs. CNN host
Larry King was broadcasting live from a stage in on the convention
floor. He hosted a roundtable discussion with guests including
political commentator Tucker Carlson, actor John Cusack and
New Mexico Governor and chair of the Democratic National Convention
Bill Richardson. We caught up with Richardson after he finished
his interview with Larry King.
Kweisi Mfume on President Bush's Refusal to Address
the NAACP
President Bush recently became the first president since
Herbert Hoover to not address the NAACP during his first term
in office. We asked the NAACP's president for a response.
[includes rush
transcript]
- Kweisi Mfume, president of the NAACP
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
whole
show
