You do know, don't you, Ms. Pelosi, that there are people suffering, they've been suffering for a long time now.
And you must know, Mr. Reid, there are folks all over this country who are weary, so weary, and they find each day harder than the one before.
Surely you know, Ms. Clinton and Mr. Obama, that it is great for you to be out campaigning, you both say such wonderful things, but perhaps could it be, perhaps this time is not a normal time for politics as usual?
Because there are people suffering right now and some of them will not make it until 2008. They won't survive. Sometimes, yes, sometimes having no hope can actually kill you.
We got soldiers committing suicide, we got an 8% suicide rate in New Orleans. Anyone see a connection here? Because I see a connection, oh yes.
I'm not god, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Reid, Ms. Clinton, Mr. Obama, and all you big bad Blue Dogs out there. I can't judge anyone as human beings, I don't even know any of you personally.
But there are people suffering right now, folks who might not make it until 2008. There are folks who lost their homes in New Orleans and they aren't being allowed to come back, no. They're poor. The poor always come last, no matter how lofty the rhetoric gets, isn't that true? The poor and the powerless.
Because it isn't 2008 yet, and in this coming year those folks won't get helped by anyone with real power, they won't.
We got big giant detention centers where they house children, yes, young children and families are suffering, and this is the best we can do? This is the best way we know how to treat a fellow human being, this is something we can excuse by speaking of law?
Whose law? I would really like to know. We have these very very rich folks, you know, and companies that have friends in high places and they don't follow any laws at all! As a matter of fact, when they see a law they don't like, hell they just make a little old phone call and voila! The law is changed. Just like that. Whose laws are operating now, I'd like to know? Can you tell me, Ms. Pelosi? Can you explain this to me, Mr. Reid?
Can you explain why your job is so important to you that you will allow folks to suffer even longer, maybe not survive until 2008? Are you so afraid you'll lose your job? How awful it must feel to be so afraid.
Are you so ambitious for the Presidency, Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton, that you will not stay at work during this time of crisis? Yes of course, of course, it would be great if either one of you became President, I'm sure either of you would do a fine job. But have you noticed, have you noticed that this is not a normal time? Is there maybe, is there perhaps something you could be doing in our Senate that would maybe be a full-time job? Maybe the kind of job where you have to be there, working flat out because after all, there are so many folks suffering now? Maybe I'm just ignorant, but I can't help thinking about this.
I don't know. Maybe this kind of ambition is a good thing. Maybe so.
There are so many folks suffering right now. There are so many folks who need help right now. Above and beyond material help, they need hope. It really does matter, hope. Lack of hope is literally causing people to die. There are soldiers killing themselves. There are folks in New Orleans killing themselves. It isn't because they have no money. It's because they have no hope.
I know, it's probably very wrong for me to single out certain folks in our government, when all of them are responsible for the crisis we are now enduring. But some leaders can do more than the rank and file, can't they? Isn't that maybe a true thing to say?
Ms. Pelosi. Mr. Reid. If you do what the newspapers are warning us you will do, the scorn will be palpable, you will feel it coming at you from every street corner in America, from every suffering soul of us. This war in Iraq is sucking the life out of this country. When Katrina hit, there weren't enough National Guardsmen, they were in Iraq. We are bleeding money into the maws of friends of Mister Bush and Mister Cheney, they grow fat on our suffering and pain and death.
If you do what the newspapers are warning us you will do, the scorn is going to drown you, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Reid. You can count on it.