Russ Feingold: “our country desperately needs a new vision for strengthening our national security, and I believe it starts by…”

“our country desperately needs a new vision for strengthening our national security, and I believe it starts by redeploying our U.S. forces from Iraq and refocusing our attention on the global terrorist threats that face us. I filed an amendment that requires the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq by December 31, 2006. Unfortunately, the Senate will not be given the opportunity to vote on this amendment if we invoke cloture on the emergency supplemental bill we will be considering shortly. I am afraid this body has failed time and time again to debate the direction of our country's policy in Iraq. Three years ago, the President landed on an aircraft carrier and, as we all remember, declared ``Mission Accomplished'' in Iraq. Today, with thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars spent, we are still no closer to a policy that lifts the burden from our troops and taxpayers and actually makes our country safer from the terrorist networks that seek to hurt us. By failing to discuss alternatives to the administration's failed Iraq policy, we have let down this institution and our constituents. We simply cannot continue to avoid asking the tough questions about Iraq. We should not be appropriating billions of dollars for Iraq without debating and demanding a strategy to complete our military mission there, not when the lives of our soldiers and the safety of our country are at risk.…”