Feingold-our work is far from over – we have got to keep pushing to end the terrible mistake in Iraq

[kpete]

Ratcheting up the pressure
by Senator Russ Feingold
Thu Apr 05, 2007

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did a great job getting the supplemental spending bill through the Senate last week. We were able to pass a bill with tough, binding language that forces the President to begin redeploying our troops from Iraq in 120 days. But our work is far from over – we have got to keep pushing to end the terrible mistake in Iraq. That next step has got to be Congress using its power of the purse to end the war.

I was extremely pleased to announce the Feingold/Reid bill this week, which many of you may already know something about. When the Senate reconvenes next week, we will introduce legislation that uses Congress’s constitutional spending power to force the President to safely redeploy troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008, with some narrow exceptions. By agreeing to cosponsor this measure, and by saying that he will work to make sure this bill gets a vote before the end of May, Harry Reid has again shown his strong commitment to pushing for an end to U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

I happened to watch Senator Reid’s Nevada press conference on CSPAN and I encourage all of you to watch it too. It is worth spending a few minutes to see how deeply felt Senator Reid’s opposition to the Iraq war really is.

Already, we are hearing the same tired rhetoric about how ending funding for the war is somehow the same as cutting funding for the troops. Unfortunately, we don’t just hear it from the right. I’ve heard some of my Democratic colleagues make the same mischaracterizations. But the fact of the matter is this measure will in no way endanger the troops. I think Duke Law professor and former acting Solicitor General of the United States, Walter Dellinger, said it best when he testified on this issue before the Senate Judiciary Committee in January. By ending funding for the war, Professor Dellinger said:

"...there would not be one penny less for salary of the troops. There would not be one penny less for benefits of the troops. There would not be one penny less for weapons or ammunition. There would not be one penny less for supplies or support. Those troops will simply be redeployed to other areas of where the Armed Forces are utilized, and that it seems to me is fully within the authority of Congress to do."

more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/4/5/101613/4896

[Serendipitous]

1. I stand behind Senators Feingold and Reid

We must keep pushing and stop the lies and propaganda surrounding the "defunding".

K&R

[Rydz777]

5. So do I

The best way to support the troops is to bring them home NOW. We must keep the pressure on.

[gratuitous]

2. The work IS far from over

But less than 60 days ago, the conventional wisdom was that the Democrats didn't have a chance of passing any legislation in either house of Congress that had a deadline on it. Well, probably not in the House, but definitely not in the Senate.

Now we have two bills with deadlines, one from each chamber.

The next step is the conference committee bill, drafted and passed by both houses, then on to the President, who has promised a veto. And the Democratic leadership has said that if the bill is vetoed, they'll press for another bill with a closer troop withdrawal deadline.

The conventional wisdom isn't saying shit about the prospects of that happening or not happening.

These developments are absolutely improvement, and while they're taking longer than I'd like to see them happening, they're happening, and the consensus is coalescing around a firm troop withdrawal date, and as long as Bush remains obstinate, it will be set sooner rather than later.

[omega minimo]

3. Feingold for President

[Purveyor]

6. I really wished he would have gotten into the race. K&R eom

[Serendipitous]

8. He'd make a PERFECT running-mate. Gore/Feingold is my DREAM ticket

[cascadiance]

13. Ditto!

[Sequoia]

7. Delete.

[Serendipitous]

9. "Her" who?

[Sequoia]

10. Never mind. Wrong forum.

[ClayZ]

4. K&R

[omega minimo]

11. K&R#4

:bounce:
:bounce:

[pstans]

12. I sure wish Russ was running for president

[loudsue]

14. The Senate Majority Leader's speech gets heard on C-SPAN, NOT the major stations.

If that doesn't get someone's attention about the Fairness Doctrine, nothing will.

I'm so tired of a senior Democrats' message being heard in remote places that the masses don't get to hear! When a senior Dem DOES get their face on the networks, the PUNCH of any speech gets edited, and some rightwing talking head paraphrases what they say, and usually has a snarky comment from the dark side.

Americans need to hear from the horse's mouth what Dems are saying...the whole thing!

:argh: Pisses me off...

:kick::kick::kick: