Posted by Mark Silva at 9:06 am CDT
The very long Fourth of July weekend opens with a radio address delivered by President Bush, devoting his weekly address to a celebration of the pursuit of freedom that has motivated the nation from the day of its independence, a cause that Bush maintains is carried on today in wars abroad.
While Bush honored the sacrifices of Americans lost "from the camps of Valley Forge to the mountains of Afghanistan,'' he curiously made no direct mention of the war in Iraq -- speaking only of the fight waged today in "distant places.'' Bush will travel to Fort Bragg, N.C., on Independence Day, a place where he has gone before to press his case for the war against terrorism.
This is the text of the radio address that the president delivered today.
"Good morning. Laura and I wish all Americans a safe and happy 4th of July weekend. I'm looking forward to spending Independence Day with members of our Armed Forces and their families at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. These brave men and women risk their lives to defend the ideals of our founding generation, and I will have the honor of thanking many of them personally for their service in freedom's cause.
"In 1776, John Adams predicted to his wife, Abigail, that America's Independence Day would be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. He wrote that "this anniversary should be commemorated with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forever more."
"Since then, generations of Americans have done just that. Each year we look forward to the family gatherings and the grand celebrations that take place across the Nation on the 4th of July. And amid the music and barbeques and fireworks, we give thanks for our freedom, and we honor the bravery and sacrifices of all those who have made that freedom possible.
"On Independence Day, we recall the courage and high ideals of our Nation's founders, who waged a desperate fight to overcome tyranny and live in freedom. Recent years have brought a renewed interest in the lives and achievements of our founders, and we have learned once again that they possessed extraordinary talents, as well as ordinary human failings, which only makes their accomplishments all the more remarkable.
"For the brave men and women of our founding generation, victory was far from certain. They were certain only of the cause they served -- the belief that freedom is the gift of God and the right of all mankind. The strength of their convictions made possible the birth of the free Nation in which we are blessed to live.
"On the 4th of July we also honor the sacrifices made by each American generation to secure the promises of the Declaration of Independence. For more than two centuries, from the camps of Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan, Americans have served and sacrificed for the principles of our founding.
"Today, a new generation of American patriots is defending our freedom against determined and ruthless enemies. At this hour, the men and women of our Armed Forces are facing danger in distant places, carrying out their missions with all the skill and honor we expect of them. And their families are enduring long separations from their loved ones with great courage and dignity. Our troops and our military families deserve all our support and gratitude, and on this 4th of July weekend, I ask every American to find a way to thank those who defend our freedom. To find out about efforts in your community, please visit the website AmericaSupportsYou.mil.
"As we celebrate the 4th, we also remember that the promises of liberty contained in our Declaration apply to all people. Because Americans believe that freedom is an unalienable right, we value the freedom of every person in every nation. And because we are committed to the God-given worth of every life, we strive to promote respect for human dignity. Today, all who live in tyranny and all who yearn for freedom can know that America stands with them.
"As citizens of this good Nation, we should be proud of our heritage, grateful for our liberty, and confident in our future. Two-hundred-and-thirty years after America declared its independence, the spirit of '76 lives on. And our Nation remains proud to carry freedom's torch. We still place our trust in the protections of divine providence. We still pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor to freedom's defense. And we still believe in the promise of freedom for all.
"Thank you for listening.''
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Comments
It's fine by me for The Swamp to post the transcript of the President's weekly radio address, but in all fairness I think you should also post the transcript of the Democratic Party weekly radio message. Today the Democratic message was delivered by Jim Webb, a Vietnam vet and former Navy Secretary under President Reagan, who left the GOP in 2003 because he disagreed so strongly with Bush's invasion of Iraq. Webb is now the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Virginia, seeking to defeat George Allen. I read excerpts from Webb's radio address elsewhere on the internet today, and it was a very powerful message for this pre-4th of July holiday. How about running both transcripts from now on - not just what Bush says in his weekly radio address but also what the opposition party has to say? Thanks for considering this suggestion.
Posted by: Nancy Kaplan | July 1, 2006 11:57 AM
As per my earlier comment, to make it easy for everyone, below is the transcript of Jim Webb's radio address today, on behalf of the Democrats (copied and pasted from another website, originally sent out via AP):
Transcript: Democrats' Weekly Radio Address
Saturday, July 01, 2006
WASHINGTON — Hello, I'm Jim Webb, the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in Virginia.
The July 4th holiday reminds us that we are a nation that was created by people of vision and courage, who were willing to risk their lives for the principles of liberty. It causes us to remember that we are defined not by any single ethnicity or by our geography, but by the powerful ideas of democracy, independence of spirit, and tolerance. Whether we have been a part of the American dream for two years or for two hundred, these are the principles that guide us. And we have been blessed throughout our history to have strong men and women who have been willing to defend those principles when their country called them.
My family has answered that call as citizen soldiers in almost every war our country has fought. Along the way we've run small farms, worked in ammunition plants, on the railroad, built ships, driven trucks, repaired TVs, worked on computers, written books, even made a few movies. But when our country called, like so many who have made this nation great, we answered. My father was an Air Force pilot in World War Two and the Berlin Airlift, and later became a pioneer in the Atlas and Thor missile programs. My brother served as a Marine helicopter pilot. It was my honor to serve as an infantry Marine in Vietnam. And my son now also serves as an infantry Marine.
Like so many other Americans, my family has willingly served in popular wars, controversial wars, and downright unpopular wars. That's just how our country works. We know that military service in America is not so much political as it is patriotic. Our young servicemen and women believe in the greatness of their country. They know that ours is a system where the political process controls the military, and decides when and where it will be used. And when they step forward to serve, they trust their leaders to use them wisely.
When our political leaders do not act wisely, our military people pay the price. I've been involved with the military all of my life — as a Marine, a novelist, a journalist, in Beirut when the Marines were there in 1983, and in Afghanistan two years ago, as an Assistant Secretary of Defense and as Secretary of the Navy. I've seen things work well, and I've seen things work badly. And through it all, I have believed strongly that when things aren't working well, it is the responsibility of our leaders to admit it, and to fix the problem. Some say that speaking out against a war is disloyal to the troops. Whoever says that should consider what it's like to be a troop, wishing someone would speak the truth.
As the occupation of Iraq has continued to drag on, some of our most distinguished retired generals, as well as many members of Congress with strong loyalties to our military, have suggested different approaches for America to remove itself from this quagmire. Rather than weighing these suggestions fairly as Americans, this Administration constantly chooses to play politics, dismissing well-intentioned concern with such trivial phrases as "cut and run." I'm reminded of another time, with a leader who truly understood war. In 1952 General Dwight Eisenhower, who had led us to victory in Europe in World War Two, strongly condemned the conduct of the Korean War as "an appalling failure." He claimed that "the old Administration cannot be expected to repair what it failed to prevent." And he gave his pledge to "review and examine every course of action open to us with one goal in view: to bring the Korean War to an early and honorable end." And you know what? When he was elected President, he fixed the problem.
We need this kind of leadership today. I'm running for the Senate in the hope that I might bring a fresh voice, and an experienced set of eyes, onto the problems of this country. We need to redirect the efforts of our national security posture. We need to bring the Iraq War to an early and honorable end. We need to begin bringing our troops home soon, as the first step toward a complete military pullout from that country. We must do this in order to free up our dedicated military people to fight the war we need to win - the war against international terrorism - and so that we can have the mobility to confront the other strategic challenges, such as the threat of an emerging China.
If I am elected, I will work toward those goals. And those who are serving our country will have no greater friend.
I'm Jim Webb, from Virginia. Thanks for listening.
Posted by: Nancy Kaplan | July 1, 2006 12:08 PM
Call me anal, but we're not celebrating the 4th day of the 7th month - it's Independence Day.
Posted by: Doug Zook | July 1, 2006 2:10 PM