Zell Miller's Speech

[JK1150]

I think this was one of the more powerful speeches of the convention. Really got the crowd going, very strong speech. What did you think of it?

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren.

Along with all the other members of our close-knit family ? they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions.

And I know that's how you feel about your family also.

Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face.

Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in.

And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family?

The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party.

There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

In the summer of 1940, I was an eight-year-old boy living in a remote little Appalachian valley.

Our country was not yet at war but even we children knew that there were some crazy men across the ocean who would kill us if they could. President Roosevelt, in his speech that summer, told America "all private plans, all private lives, have been in a sense repealed by an overriding public danger."

In 1940 Wendell Wilkie was the Republican nominee.

And there is no better example of someone repealing their "private plans" than this good man. He gave Roosevelt the critical support he needed for a peacetime draft, an unpopular idea at the time.

And he made it clear that he would rather lose the election than make national security a partisan campaign issue.

Shortly before Wilkie died he told a friend, that if he could write his own epitaph and had to choose between "here lies a president" or "here lies one who contributed to saving freedom", he would prefer the latter.

Where are such statesmen today? Where is the bi-partisanship in this country when we need it most?

Now, while young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrat's manic obsession to bring down our Commander-in-Chief.

What has happened to the party I've spent my life working in? I can remember when Democrats believed that it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny.

It was Democratic President Harry Truman who pushed the Red Army out of Iran, who came to the aid of Greece when Communists threatened to overthrow it, who stared down the Soviet blockade of West Berlin by flying in supplies and saving the city.

Time after time in our history, in the face of great danger, Democrats and Republicans worked together to ensure that freedom would not falter. But not today.

Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator.

And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.

Tell that to the one-half of Europe that was freed because Franklin Roosevelt led an army of liberators, not occupiers.

Tell that to the lower half of the Korean Peninsula that is free because Dwight Eisenhower commanded an army of liberators, not occupiers.

Tell that to the half a billion men, women and children who are free today from the Baltics to the Crimea, from Poland to Siberia, because Ronald Reagan rebuilt a military of liberators, not occupiers.

Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier. And, our soldiers don't just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home.

For it has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.

It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.

No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home.

But don't waste your breath telling that to the leaders of my party today. In their warped way of thinking America is the problem, not the solution.

They don't believe there is any real danger in the world except that which America brings upon itself through our clumsy and misguided foreign policy.

It is not their patriotism - it is their judgment that has been so sorely lacking. They claimed Carter's pacifism would lead to peace.

They were wrong.

They claimed Reagan's defense buildup would lead to war.

They were wrong.

And, no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

Together, Kennedy/Kerry have opposed the very weapons system that won the Cold War and that is now winning the War on Terror.

Listing all the weapon systems that Senator Kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our national security but Americans need to know the facts.

The B-1 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, dropped 40% of the bombs in the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The B-2 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hussein's command post in Iraq.

The F-14A Tomcats, that Senator Kerry opposed, shot down Khadifi's Libyan MIGs over the Gulf of Sidra. The modernized F-14D, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered missile strikes against Tora Bora.

The Apache helicopter, that Senator Kerry opposed, took out those Republican Guard tanks in Kuwait in the Gulf War. The F-15 Eagles, that Senator Kerry opposed, flew cover over our Nation's Capital and this very city after 9/11.

I could go on and on and on: Against the Patriot Missile that shot down Saddam Hussein's scud missiles over Israel, Against the Aegis air-defense cruiser, Against the Strategic Defense Initiative, Against the Trident missile, against, against, against.

This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces? U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?

Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric.

Campaign talk tells people who you want them to think you are. How you vote tells people who you really are deep inside.

Senator Kerry has made it clear that he would use military force only if approved by the United Nations.

Kerry would let Paris decide when America needs defending. I want Bush to decide. John Kerry, who says he doesn't like outsourcing, wants to outsource our national security. That's the most dangerous outsourcing of all. This politician wants to be leader of the free world.

Free for how long?

For more than twenty years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, John Kerry has been more wrong, more weak and more wobbly than any other national figure. As a war protestor, Kerry blamed our military.

As a Senator, he voted to weaken our military. And nothing shows that more sadly and more clearly than his vote this year to deny protective armor for our troops in harms way, far-away. George Bush understands that we need new strategies to meet new threats.

John Kerry wants to re-fight yesterday's war. George Bush believes we have to fight today's war and be ready for tomorrow's challenges. George Bush is committed to providing the kind of forces it takes to root out terrorists.

No matter what spider hole they may hide in or what rock they crawl under.

George Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip. From John Kerry, they get a "yes-no-maybe" bowl of mush that can only encourage our enemies and confuse our friends.

I first got to know George Bush when we served as governors together. I admire this man. I am moved by the respect he shows the First Lady, his unabashed love for his parents and his daughters, and the fact that he is unashamed of his belief that God is not indifferent to America.

I can identify with someone who has lived that line in "Amazing Grace," "Was blind, but now I see," and I like the fact that he's the same man on Saturday night that he is on Sunday morning.

He is not a slick talker but he is a straight shooter and, where I come from, deeds mean a lot more than words.

I have knocked on the door of this man's soul and found someone home, a God-fearing man with a good heart and a spine of tempered steel.

The man I trust to protect my most precious possession: my family.

This election will change forever the course of history, and that's not any history. It's our family's history.

The only question is how. The answer lies with each of us. And, like many generations before us, we've got some hard choosing to do.

Right now the world just cannot afford an indecisive America. Fainthearted, self-indulgence will put at risk all we care about in this world.

In this hour of danger our President has had the courage to stand up. And this Democrat is proud to stand up with him.

Thank you.

God Bless this great country and God Bless George W. Bush.

[Azadre]

He is a nut, a disproven one at that.

[nemo]

absolutely amazing and hilarious.

great job...

I've heard him on Hannity so many times, he's absolutely great. It's good we have him supporting Bush.

[b3ta]

God Bless this great country and God Bless George W. Bush.

- I wish God was a Neowin Member and could post what he thinks of that. :laugh:

I have a feeling God would give Bush a swift kick in the pants.

[JK1150]

I have a feeling God would give Bush a swift kick in the pants.

you have no basis for saying that.

[b3ta]

you have no basis for saying that.

Like you have no basis saying that God would bless him. :blush:

Pretty sure Allah would not bless him.

[John S. Veteran]

Fabulous speech, I enjoyed it the best of any thus far.

[....]

Simply awesome speech. "My family is more important than my party." Props to you, Senator Miller.

[nemo]

Simply awesome speech. "My family is more important than my party." Props to you, Senator Miller.

his entire speech was absolutely amazing.

such a great guy.

[ryanmcv]

I have a feeling God would give Bush a swift kick in the pants.

Who do you think you are, God's right-hand man? George Bush is a very religious man.

Don't say what God will or won't do, because frankly, no one knows.

[nemo]

Who do you think you are, God's right-hand man? George Bush is a very religious man.

Don't say what God will or won't do, because frankly, no one knows.

no... because what Bush is doing is wrong in his opinion... and therefore, that's God's opinion as well.

[b3ta]

no... because what Bush is doing is wrong in his opinion... and therefore, that's God's opinion as well.

Your misguided - at best.

I never said that God wouldn't bless him, I merely said, how do you know - for all we know God may choose to give him a swift kick in the pants. :shifty:

[deadzombie]

I enjoyed the speech.

[Bearded Kirklander]

He is a nut, a disproven one at that.

Odd that you would say that, given the fact that he was key note speaker at the 92 convention. His views have not changed over the years, but his party has changed and moved away from him after 9/11. I don't think trying to simply dismiss him as a crackpot, especially when it is abundantly clear he is not, is a very good political strategy.

[Bearded Kirklander]

I have a feeling God would give Bush a swift kick in the pants.

To proffer a viewpoint that GOD would inflict violence on our President for responding to an attack from religious extremists smacks of disrespect and disdain for the concept of religion and the idea of a loving GOD. That is a pretty desperate and low blow on your part, it would seem. Cheap anti-religious attack, really.

[Bearded Kirklander]

It was a shockingly strong speech, and while I can respect and actually appreciate what he said, it was a bit out of character for a convention. The attacks were pretty harsh, but I certainly cannot fault him for having conviction and for feeling as strongly as he does. Mainly, because his comments, however strong, had the right of Truth and Reason to them. I simply can't find fault with his individual points, but I'm still going to re-read them all and see if I can find a point that may not be fully justifiable, out of an interest to be fair. But certainly, as I watched the speech, I was impressed by his passion and the fact that it was so well bound to reasonable arguments. It did not sound like "hate for the sake of hate", but passion based upon true, honest, core beliefs and observations. That part was impressive, to say the least.

[kennyout]

To proffer a viewpoint that GOD would inflict violence on our President for responding to an attack from religious extremists smacks of disrespect and disdain for the concept of religion and the idea of a loving GOD. That is a pretty desperate and low blow on your part, it would seem. Cheap anti-religious attack, really.

Did you read the Old Testiment?

GOD was pretty Damn Sadistic....turned people to salt for staring the wrong way.....opening the ground to suck them in.....flood.....that whole thing where he teased Moses.... :shifty: :whistle: :rofl:

[Fotix]

I continue to be impressed with all that Governor Barnes and Lieutenant Governor Taylor and the Speaker and the General Assembly are getting done over at the Gold Dome. Georgia is fortunate to have this kind of leadership.

    My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders ? and a good friend.

    He was once a lieutenant governor ? but he didn't stay in that office 16 years, like someone else I know. It just took two years before the people of Massachusetts moved him into the United States Senate in 1984.

    In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington.

    Early in his Senate career in 1986, John signed on to the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Bill, and he fought for balanced budgets before it was considered politically correct for Democrats to do so.

    John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment. Business Week magazine named him one of the top pro-technology legislators and made him a member of its "Digital Dozen."

    John was re-elected in 1990 and again in 1996 ? when he defeated popular Republican Governor William Weld in the most closely watched Senate race in the country.

    John is a graduate of Yale University and was a gunboat officer in the Navy. He received a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three awards of the Purple Heart for combat duty in Vietnam. He later co-founded the Vietnam Veterans of America.

http://miller.senate.gov/speeches/030101jjdinner.htm

[Bearded Kirklander]

http://miller.senate.gov/speeches/030101jjdinner.htm

You do understand that was prior to 9/11, do you not? That Miller said the events of 9/11 and how the Democrats responded to it is what brought him to his current stance? You have been paying attention and doing research, have you not? Or are you simply spewing forth from talking points provided to you from liberal sources?

Anyone, Conservative or Liberal, who is unwilling or unable to do their own research and critical thinking is not someone worth investing further time in, at least for me.

Perhaps Zell Miller started doing his own critical thinking and started to question the party line instead of blindly following it? Of course, I'm only speculating on that. But it does appear that after 9/11 he really did some soul searching when he saw how his party reacted to the crisis.

[username]

Zell Miller later that night challenged Chris Mathews to a dual... the guy has lost it

[....]

You do understand that was prior to 9/11, do you not? That Miller said the events of 9/11 and how the Democrats responded to it is what brought him to his current stance? You have been paying attention and doing research, have you not? Or are you simply spewing forth from talking points provided to you from liberal sources?

Anyone, Conservative or Liberal, who is unwilling or unable to do their own research and critical thinking is not someone worth investing further time in, at least for me.

Perhaps Zell Miller started doing his own critical thinking and started to question the party line instead of blindly following it? Of course, I'm only speculating on that. But it does appear that after 9/11 he really did some soul searching when he saw how his party reacted to the crisis.

Beat me to it. That was my exact response. Pre-9/11. Miller stated bluntly that since then America has changed, as has his party.

[....]

Zell Miller later that night challenged Chris Mathews to a dual... the guy has lost it

A dual what?

[Bearded Kirklander]

Zell Miller later that night challenged Chris Mathews to a dual... the guy has lost it

Oh please. It was political theater, perhaps responding to Chris Mathhews brutal verbal attack on Michelle Malkin and other Conservatives that Miller now seems to identify with. Chris Mathews is a pitbull and he knows how to roll with the punches, and the fun. If the jest by Miller was not well played to the camera, then that is too bad, but it is all part of the political jockying with the press. :rolleyes:

[Fotix]

You do understand that was prior to 9/11, do you not? That Miller said the events of 9/11 and how the Democrats responded to it is what brought him to his current stance? You have been paying attention and doing research, have you not? Or are you simply spewing forth from talking points provided to you from liberal sources?

Anyone, Conservative or Liberal, who is unwilling or unable to do their own research and critical thinking is not someone worth investing further time in, at least for me.

I didn't even say a word. It was Miller's own words. Miller is attacking Kerry today on issues prior to 9/11, including his Senate votes. It's only appropriate we see what he was saying prior to 9/11, too. Not my problem buddy.

[b3ta]

I didn't even say a word. It was Miller's own words. Miller is attacking Kerry today on issues prior to 9/11, including his Senate votes. It's only appropriate we see what he was saying prior to 9/11, too. Not my problem buddy.

:omg: This political process has turned into a real circus - but free.