Feingold to introduce bill for Iraqi withdrawal timetable.

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today that he will introduce a resolution in the Senate tomorrow calling on the administration to report to Congress on a timeframe for achieving its military goals in Iraq and withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. The resolution calls on the President to identify the specific missions that the U.S. military is being asked to accomplish in Iraq, as well as the timeframe in which those missions can be successfully achieved. Most critically, Feingold's resolution calls on the President and his administration to report to Congress with a plan and timetable for the subsequent withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Feingold was in Iraq with four of his Senate colleagues in February. He has long called on the administration to level with the American people regarding the nature and length of the U.S. military commitment to Iraq.
Feingold issued the following statement on his resolution today:

"While I was in Iraq in February, I was able to witness firsthand the truly amazing resolve all of our troops in Iraq - I cannot describe how very proud I am of all of those who serve. It is with that trip and those soldiers in mind that I will introduce a resolution tomorrow that calls on the President to clarify the objectives and timeframe of the current U.S. mission in Iraq, including a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops. And I will work with my colleagues to hold the Administration accountable for meeting our goals and achieving clear standards of success.

We owe our brave servicemen and women a concrete timetable for achieving clear goals, not vague, open-ended commitments. Having a timetable for the transfer of sovereignty and having a timetable for Iraqi elections have resulted in real political and strategic advantages. Having a timetable for the withdrawal of troops should be no different."


http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/6/13/193739/182

He says what he means and means what he says. Rare in congress.

Maybe they're developing a spine.

The polls are showing waning support for the GOP's Middle East clusterfuck. So those Democrats who formulate their policy positions by licking their finger and holding it up to the wind are going to become more and more against the occupation.

who are developing, hopefully, the spine to go off the reservation. What can I say--I'm an optimist.

a few weeks ago. The Democratic caucus supported it 122-79 (with one abstention). (Link to the roll call vote) I think the Senate tends to be a bit more hawkish, so the numbers might not be as good.

One can be happy that our next president is taking the initiative with respect to this issue. But we can't forget that the glass isn't just half empty, rather it's 98% empty. Feingold's proposal isn't radical or even anti-war for that matter. It's common sense. The White House needs to clearly define precise objectives for Iraq and draw up a schedule of when we hope to achieve these goals. Without this, we're just aimlessly fucking around over there. The fact that this won't pass 100-0 is just an indication of how ridiculous Washington has become.