|
Boston College
Protest*
Tuesday , May 23, 2006
This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," May 22, 2006,
that has been edited for clarity.
SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: This was the scene at the Boston College
commencement ceremony earlier today when students displaying antiwar
messages turned their backs on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
when she accepted an honorary degree. Our cameras were on campus
during this protest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Having Condoleezza Rice here just misrepresents
everything that we've been taught here at Boston College.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has compromised her own values as a human
being and not standing up to the injustices that have happened in
Iraq, in Guantanamo Bay. I do not think she's a good representative
of anyone, especially as a Commencement speaker.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: ... based on lies. Every 10 minutes, somebody
dies in this war based on lies. Every 10 minutes, somebody dies!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a warmonger and a liar and unrepentant. And
she — you know, we should be giving her a subpoena today for war
crimes and crimes against humanity, not an honorary degree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is going to be celebrated for being a
cultured, sophisticated, musically talented, you know, enlightened
individual. And she's just as responsible for lying and in terms of
laying out the architecture for the war.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is certainly a great dishonor, and we're
here to say how dishonored we feel as Catholics. And I'm sure the
Jesuits, many feel similarly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of her education was in vain. She didn't
learn any morals along the way. She didn't learn any restraint. She
didn't develop a respect for the rule of law and respect for the
sovereignty of other countries.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Liar, Condi, Liar, Condi...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Joining us now, Steve Almond. He resigned his position as
an adjunct professor of English at Boston College when Secretary
Rice was invited to campus.
Welcome aboard, sir. Thanks for being with us. Steve, I guess it's
fairly obvious. You probably voted for John Kerry in the last
election. So politics play any role in your position here?
PROF. STEVE ALMOND, RESIGNED TO PROTEST RICE: I think actually
morality plays a role. I just feel public officials shouldn't lie to
us, especially about matters that are as important as war.
HANNITY: I got that. But did you — but you are politically a
Democrat. You're politically lefty. You voted for John Kerry, right?
ALMOND: I believe that politicians shouldn't lie to the American
people.
HANNITY: I didn't ask you that. Did you vote for John Kerry, sir?
ALMOND: And I'm telling you that I don't believe that our public
officials should lie, Democrat, Republican, or...
HANNITY: I got that. You're a broken record. Now this is a simply
question: Did you vote for John Kerry?
ALMOND: I don't see what it has to do with Condoleezza Rice...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: I'll tell you what it has to do with it.
ALMOND: ... lies to the American public. What does it have to do
with it?
HANNITY: I'll explain it to you. If you would give me an honest
answer, I can explain why. Did you vote for John Kerry?
ALMOND: What is it that you want to say to me? Are you going to try
to establish that I'm a lefty or Democrat? I believe that public
officials shouldn't lie, and Condoleezza Rice has lied repeatedly.
HANNITY: I already know you voted for John Kerry, but you won't
admit it. But you don't have to. I'll tell you why: Because John
Kerry, in the lead-up to this very war, in your letter, where you
say, "In an effort to build the case for war, then-National Security
Adviser Rice repeatedly asserted that Iraq was pursuing a nuclear
program."
Well, I'll quote John Kerry, the guy that I suspect you voted for.
He says, "If you don't believe Saddam is a threat with nuclear
weapons or WMDs, you shouldn't vote for me." Is the guy that you
voted for a liar?
ALMOND: The secretary of state, who has also been a part of
prosecuting this war...
HANNITY: All right, you can't even answer a question.
ALMOND: ... incredibly ineptly is...
HANNITY: Is John Kerry a liar?
ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Let me jump in here. Steve, I don't care
whether you voted for Kerry or not, but it's Condoleezza Rice...
ALMOND: Thank you. It's a matter of morality. Not everything is
politics. Some of it is basic morality.
COLMES: ... who's setting policy. Let me pursue a different line of
questioning here. It's Alan. I'm on your side politically. But I
think there might be better ways to protest. Why quit your job? Why
not turn your back, or speak, or hold a protest rally, or hold an
alternate ceremony to put forth your point of view? Why not do it
that way?
ALMOND: Well, there are plenty of ways to. -- For me, you know, it
was an act of conscience. I didn't want to collect a paycheck. It
would be as if you worked at a TV station, for instance, and you
were a strong advocate for women's rights, and one of your
colleagues, a powerful colleague, sexually harassed his employees.
And you didn't want to stand for that. You didn't feel the TV
station had done enough to punish him, and you might, as a matter of
conscience, resign because of that.
COLMES: I might, or I might use my platform to speak out, or I might
do things behind the scenes to speak out that have nothing to do
with what I would do publicly, but you chose to quit.
ALMOND: Sure.
COLMES: And I just wonder if there might be a more effective way to
put forth your point of view, which I think is a very valid point of
view. Whether you're left or right, it's not relevant, but there
might be better ways to get that point across.
ALMOND: Well, I don't think I'm really the issue here. I think
Condoleezza Rice and her campaign of deception and this
administration's prosecution of an immoral war is the issue. There
are no WMDs, unless you got them there at FOX News under your desk.
And we've been hearing for over three years and coming up on 20,000
casualties, and the American people are getting sick of it.
HANNITY: You know what? If that's the case — and I suspect I'm
right, and you voted for Kerry — you voted for a guy that made that
exact same case as she did. What would that make you?
ALMOND: I'm sorry: The administration in power is the one that has
gotten us into this mess, OK? You're not going to blame it on Kerry.
HANNITY: John Kerry voted for it.
ALMOND: You're not going to blame it on Clinton.
=end= |
