Spinners In The Hands Of An Angry Byrd

Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., dished out some fire and brimstone during Wednesday's appearance by Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace before the committee.

As The Associated Press reports, Byrd's speech at a hearing on a $190 billion Iraq combat funding request was punctuated by "tough rhetoric" and "was interrupted several times by cheers of anti-war protesters."

"The American public was sold on this war with metaphors about mushroom clouds and
fanciful visions of our troops being greeted as liberators," Byrd told the pair at one point. "The fear tactics and half-truths continue, as the President suggests that terrorists will 'follow us here' if we withdraw from Iraq, and the Administration grasps at every straw to demonstrate 'progress' on the ground."

C-SPAN offers video of the entire three-hour hearing. Byrd's speech takes up the first 12 minutes. (The so-called "Greek Chorus" begins at 8:55, but also check out the reaction by other committee members, particularly Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., at 8:11. And things really go south at 1:28:15.)

The committee has posted the text of Byrd's prepared remarks.

(Thanks to the Charleston Daily Mail for picking up a Washington Post column opining on the hearing, which was marred by "two dozen hecklers in the audience from the antiwar group Code Pink" who "continued to shout at the witnesses and wave signs for the better part of an hour.")

Byrd had vowed in a speech earlier this week that "I am convinced that the best way to support our troops is to bring them home, and the only way to get them home may be to somehow restrict the funds for this disastrous war."

The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews (with audio) were among those to cover the Monday remarks, while the Appropriations Committee has also issued a release on Byrd's statement.

(Update: Public Broadcasting has a piece on both Monday's remarks and Wednesday's hearing.)