Russ Feingold: “I voted against the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill because it does nothing to bring to a close the…”

“I voted against the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill because it does nothing to bring to a close the open-ended military mission in Iraq, which has overburdened our military, weakened our national security, and cost the lives of thousands of American soldiers. There were provisions in the bill which I strongly supported, including language I proposed that will make it easier for family members and other trusted adults to take leave to care for children and dependents when their loved ones are deployed. I am also pleased that the Senate approved two amendments I cosponsored. One was an amendment by Senator Webb creating a Commission on Wartime Contracting to examine waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the misuse of force by private security contractors. The other was an amendment by Senator Sanders to ensure that money allocated for research on gulf war illnesses is spent wisely. But on balance, I could not vote for a bill that defies the will of so many Wisconsinites and so many Americans by allowing the President to continue one of the greatest and most tragic foreign policy blunders in the history of our Nation.”