Russ Feingold: “I strongly oppose President Bush's statements that the Democratic leaders are trying to use the current emergency…”

“I strongly oppose President Bush's statements that the Democratic leaders are trying to use the current emergency supplemental bill to make a political statement. Congress is acting on its mandate from the American people, who used their votes last November to register their opposition to the war in Iraq. The President has repeatedly made it clear that nothing--not the wishes of the American people, not the advice of military foreign policy experts, not the concerns of members of both parties--will discourage him from pursuing a war that has no end in sight and that has no military solution. With our heroic troops stuck in an Iraqi civil war, Congress cannot wait for the President to change course. We must change the course ourselves. Once again, President Bush is stalling for time as he threatens to veto a bipartisan bill that could finally change the course in Iraq. Although the conference report does not go as far or move as quickly as I would like, it is an important step toward ending the President's misguided policies in Iraq. It requires the President to begin redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq, while permitting troops to remain in Iraq for defined and narrow purposes: To protect U.S. personnel and facilities, to engage in 'targeted special actions' against al-Qaida and their affiliates and to train and equip Iraqi forces.”