Byrd Denounces Dogfighting - Updated

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., lashed out Thursday at those who engage in dogfighting, The Associated Press reports, in the wake of federal charges against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

Repeatedly denouncing the practice as "barbaric," the longest-serving senator in U.S. history also invoked the wrath of God during his floor speech, the AP article said.

The overall topic is not a new one for Byrd. His July 2001 speech on the conditions at industrial farms and modern slaughterhouses has been lauded by such groups as the Animal Welfare Institute as "what may be the most profound oratory for animals ever delivered in the US Congress."

And when it endorsed his successful bid for a record ninth term last year, the U.S. Humane Society called Byrd "one of the strongest champions for animal welfare in Congress."

"Senator Byrd in recent years has frequently taken to the Senate floor to condemn animal abuse, including intensive confinement of animals on factory farms and the barbaric practice of cockfighting," the group noted in its endorsement.

(Update II: YouTube now has the complete 10+ minute speech here, here and here. CNN has both an online story and video.)