Robert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd (born
November 20,
1917) is a
West Virginia Democrat serving in the
United States Senate.
Some consider Byrd to be a "walking encyclopedia" on the history of both the American and Roman senates. He has risen to national prominence as the oldest member of the Senate (after the retirement of
Strom Thurmond) and recently as being a critic of the
Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive war and the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq.
Byrd was born in
North Wilkesboro, North Carolina in
1917. Byrd attended West Virginia public schools and was later a student at Beckley College, Concord College, Morris Harvey College, and
Marshall College, all in
West Virginia. He graduated from
American University Law School in
1963.
Byrd was a member of the
Ku Klux Klan for a period of time in the early
1940s. In a letter he wrote in
1946, he said, "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia." However, by the time he ran for
Congress in
1952, he announced, "After about a year, I became disinterested, quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization. During the nine years that have followed, I have never been interested in the Klan."
He was first elected to the Senate in
1958 and has held the position ever since. Byrd is currently the "Father of the Senate" - the Senator with the longest continuous service. As the longest-serving Democratic Senator, he has held the office of
President Pro Tempore of the Senate three times, most recently from
2001-
2003. He has served as a member of the
Appropriations Committee since the
1950s and is chairman of the committee when the Democratic party is in the Senate majority.
In
1965, the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program was created by Congress as a federally funded, state-administered program. It awards $1500 per year to graduating high school seniors who continue on to higher education on the basis of academic merit.
Byrd has a
cameo role as a
Confederate general in the
Warner Brothers film
Gods and Generals (
2003).
Political timeline
\n* West Virginia House of Delegates (1947-1950)\n* West Virginia Senate (1951-1952)\n* U.S. Representative from West Virginia's 6th District (1953-1959)\n* Eight-term U.S. Senator from West Virginia (1958-present)\n**Democratic whip (1971-1977)\n**Majority Leader (1977-1980 and 1987-1988)\n**Minority Leader (1981-1986)\n**President pro tempore (1989-1995; January 3, 2001-January 20, 2001; and June 6, 2001-2003)
2001 racial remark controversy
On March 4, 2001, an interview with FOX News Sunday host Tony Snow was aired. In the interview Byrd was asked about race relations: "They are much, much better than they've ever been in my lifetime," Byrd said. "I think we talk about race too much. I think those problems are largely behind us... I just think we talk so much about it that we help to create somewhat of an illusion. I think we try to have good will. My old mom told me, 'Robert, you can't go to heaven if you hate anybody.' We practice that." Then Byrd warned: "There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time; I'm going to use that word."
"We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much."
Byrd's office later issued an apology.
"I apologize for the characterization I used on this program. The phrase dates back to my boyhood and has no place in today's society. As for my language, I had no intention of casting aspersions on anyone of another race."
American conservatives have pointed to Byrd's comments as evidence of a double standard in the treatment of Democratic and Republican political figures in regards to controversial statements about race (see Trent Lott, Rush Limbaugh).
Opposition to war in Iraq
\nByrd was one of the Senate’s most outspoken critics of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Bush Doctrine’s support of unilateralism and preemptive warfare.
On March 19, 2003, the President George W. Bush ordered the invasion after failing to receive United Nations approval, Byrd told the Senate floor:
"Today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned. Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination."
Byrd also criticized Bush for his speech declaring the end of major combat operations in Iraq, which Bush made on the USS Abraham Lincoln after garbing himself in a fighter pilot’s uniform. Byrd told the Senate:
"I do question the motives of a deskbound President who assumes the garb of a warrior for the purposes of a speech."
Byrd’s criticism has made him the unlikely hero of the anti-war movement who spread his speeches via e-mail.
In July 2004, Byrd released the book Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency about the Bush presidency and the war in Iraq.
External links
\n* U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd\n*The Traditionalist\n* Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program\n* One Man's Pork Is Another's Bacon: Byrd A Living Legend Among Democrats E-Vote.com\n* Just Who WAS the "White Nigger" Senator Byrd Was Thinking About? Banner of Liberty
Byrd, Robert
