Russ Feingold: “I certainly hope we have some kind of a way to do that now. I am very puzzled by that argument. But the broader point of…”

“I certainly hope we have some kind of a way to do that now. I am very puzzled by that argument. But the broader point of this issue is this: The heart of the argument of the Senator from South Carolina is that somehow having a timetable and withdrawing from this mistake in Iraq is going to help both al-Qaida and Iran. I would say it is just the opposite. The situation in Iraq is ideal for al-Qaida. It is sapping our military strength in Iraq and throughout the world at the same time that al-Qaida, according to our own public National Intelligence Estimate, is reinvigorating itself in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, and around the world. So it is just the opposite. Continuing this involvement in Iraq that we have right now completely plays into the hands of those who attacked us on 9/11.”