Sen. Robert Byrd Asks: 'How Much American Blood?'

Oct. 14, 2009— -- Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., isn't seen much in public anymore. At 91, he rarely votes and almost never gives speeches. But today he dramatically appeared on the Senator floor to denounce the idea of sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

"How much more will all this cost?" Byrd demanded. "How much in dollars; how much in terms of American blood?"

Speaking slowly and forcefully from his wheelchair, Byrd directly challenged counter-insurgency strategy proposed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Central Command.