Russ Feingold: “I rise once again today to comment on the deeply disturbing consequences of the President's misguided policies in Iraq.…”

“I rise once again today to comment on the deeply disturbing consequences of the President's misguided policies in Iraq. I have spoken before about my grave concern that the administration's Iraq policies are actually strengthening the hand of our enemies, fueling the insurgency's recruitment of foreign fighters, and unifying elements of the insurgency that might otherwise turn on each other. But today I want to focus on a different and equally alarming issue, which is that the Bush administration's policies in Iraq are making America weaker. None of us should stand by and allow this to continue. It is shocking to me this Senate has not found the time and the energy to take up the Defense authorization bill and give that bill the full debate and attention it deserves. Our men and women in uniform and our military families continue to make real sacrifices every day in service to this country. They perform their duties with skill and honor, sometimes in the most difficult of circumstances. But the Senate has not performed its duties, and the state of the U.S. military desperately needs our attention. The administration's policies in Iraq are breaking the U.S. Army. As soldiers confront the prospect of a third tour in the extremely difficult theater of Iraq, it would be understandable if they began to wonder why all of the sacrifice undertaken by our country in wartime seems to be falling on their shoulders.…”