Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On Recent Remarks Regarding Timetables for Operations in Iraq July 27, 2005 The President and others in his administration have suggested that to question the path that we are on in Iraq would undermine our united commitment to support the courageous men and women who have been deployed in harm's way. Others believe that any discussion of timeframes, flexible or otherwise, is basically code for a "withdraw now" agenda. It is clear that neither of these charges is credible. Just this morning, General Casey spoke publicly of the potential to reduce our troop levels fairly substantially by the spring and summer of 2006. I think his comments, and Iraqi Prime Minister Jafari's frank acknowledgement recently that "the great desire of the Iraqi people is to see the coalition forces be on their way out," are constructive. I hardly think that General Casey can be accused of failing to support his fellow servicemen and women. The ill-defined and open-ended military commitment that has long characterized our policy in Iraq is actually strengthening the very forces who wish to do us harm. We need to adjust our course, and more clarity about our plans in Iraq is an important part of making that change. Feingold introduced a resolution, S. Res. 171, in June -- the first of its kind in the Senate -- that calls on the President to create a timetable for achieving clear goals and then bringing American troops home from Iraq.     View Senator Feingold's Timetable Fact Sheet here

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