Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold In Reaction to the President's Failure to Deliver a Realistic Assessment of Where We Stand in Iraq August 22, 2005 In his speech from Utah, the President failed to give the American people a realistic assessment of where we stand today, and where we should be going. It was more of the same sloganeering that has not made us stronger or safer in the global fight against terrorism. The President seems to think that we are on the right track, and that we should simply "stay the course." But breaking the all-volunteer Army and continuing to pour a billion dollars a week into Iraq for an indefinite period of time is not the way to win the fight against terrorism. To defeat the forces that attacked our country on September 11, 2001, we must place our Iraq policy in the context of a global effort, rather than letting it dominate our security strategy and drain vital security resources for an unlimited amount of time. Our brave men and women in uniform are doing a tremendous job in Iraq. But they deserve more than our admiration and respect. They deserve sound policy. We need the President to be clear about the remaining U.S. military mission in Iraq, and we need a target date -- I have suggested December 31, 2006 - for completing that mission and bringing U.S. troops home. I am glad that the Iraqis have made some progress on their constitution, although clearly more work needs to be done to bring Sunnis into the political process. But trumpeting the latest developments in the constitution-drafting cannot be a substitute for articulating an Iraq policy that makes sense for our national security.

# # #