Russ Feingold: “we should be using our time right now to continue our work on the Department of Defense authorization bill, working…”

“we should be using our time right now to continue our work on the Department of Defense authorization bill, working through important amendments relating to the needs of our military and our Nation's security and giving these issues the time and careful attention that they so clearly deserve. At a time when our brave men and women in uniform are deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere--risking and, too often, losing their lives in service to this country--we ought to be working intensively on the Defense bill. At a time when terrorist networks continue to strike at our allies, killing innocent civilians in an attempt to intimidate everyone who rejects their violent, extremist agenda, we ought to be focusing sustained attention on ensuring that our military has the tools that it needs, and our country has the policy that it needs, to create a more secure world for our children. And as a part of that effort, we must devote more time and more attention to a realistic assessment of where we stand today in Iraq, and where we should be going. As my colleagues know, I have submitted a resolution calling for the President to provide a public report clarifying the mission that the U.S. military is being asked to accomplish in Iraq and laying out a plan and timeframe for accomplishing that mission. This doesn't seem like much to ask for.…”