Now that Feingold has announced he won't run, you have to wonder how they'll spin his call to end funding for the Iraq war.
CNN:
"Now Congress must use its main power -- the power of the purse -- to put an end to our involvement in this disastrous war and I am not talking here only about the surge or escalation," said Feingold of Wisconsin at a Senate hearing. "It is time to use the power of the purse to bring our troops out of Iraq."
Sen. Feingold expanded on his comments with a diary entry over at Daily Kos:
When I questioned Secretary Rice today at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, she refused to accept that our single-minded focus on Iraq is having any impact on our ability to handle other challenges around the world. But her denials don’t change the fact that we're losing ground in Afghanistan, we're failing in our efforts with Iran and North Korea, our military is strained, and Al Qaeda is being strengthened – all while this administration has been obsessed with Iraq.
Some have suggested that Congress may have the power to end funding for the war, sure, but they won’t dare to use it because the White House has convinced so many people that to support the troops you have to keep funding the war effort, and keep those Americans in harm’s way. That’s the worst form of political manipulation and a shameful effort to suppress debate on ending the war and bringing our troops home.
Calling the Iraq war "a fraud from the very beginning," he points out that soldiers in Iraq aren't being supported by forcing them to continue a fight that no longer serves any purpose.
"The President may be ignoring the will of the American people, but Congress isn’t helpless here," Feingold writes. "We have the power to stop this war."
Tags: news | politics | senate | Russ Feingold | democrat | liberal | war | Bush | Iraq | disaster | peace | Wisconsin |
