Political Quotes

“I rise tonight to ask the Bush administration why in the world our country appears to be allowing a violent coup d'etat to occur in Haiti. Through a wink and a nod, our administration is allowing this violence to occur, and we must not stand for it. The democratically elected President of Haiti could be overthrown any minute. At risk, of course, is the safety of over 8 million lives in Haiti. We cannot play politics with rebels and with thugs. They are trying to change their government through the use of force, not by democratic elections. We do not allow coups to take place in the United States, and we should uphold that standard for neighboring countries, neighboring democracies, especially one in our own hemisphere. Throughout Haiti's 200 years of independence, it has experienced 32 coups, but it seemed that the tragic cycle ended in 1991 with President Aristide's first Presidential victory. After a coup, the United States helped restore then-exiled President Aristide in 1996, and later he ran and was reelected in the fall of 2001. Tonight as we speak, President Aristide is warding off yet another coup attempt and a potential civil war, and democracy is under fire again in Haiti.”