Senator Feingold Calls on Administration to Send Congress a Timetable
for Achieving Military Goals in Iraq and Withdrawing U.S. Troops
Washington D.C. – On Tuesday, June 14, 2005,
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold introduced Senate Resolution
171, which calls on the administration to report to Congress on a
timeframe for achieving its military goals in Iraq and withdrawing
U.S. troops from Iraq. The resolution calls on the President to identify
the specific missions that the U.S. military is being asked to accomplish
in Iraq, as well as the timeframe in which those missions can be successfully
achieved.
The resolution calls on President Bush to report on
the following within 30 days of Senate passage of the resolution:
Report on the Remaining Mission
The resolution calls for the President to report to Congress the remaining
mission of the Armed Forces of the United States in Iraq. A sound
strategic plan for United States military operations in Iraq would
include information regarding the numbers of Iraqi troops that must
be effectively trained and the amount of time that will be required
to train them. The President, so far, has declined to set out specific
goals for the U.S. military to achieve in Iraq.
Report on a Time Frame for the Remaining Mission
The resolution calls on the President to offer current estimates of
the time frame required for the United States to achieve the remaining
mission, including information regarding variables that could alter
that time frame. Time frames for the transfer of sovereignty and for
elections in Iraq resulted in real political and strategic advantages
for the U.S. and have advanced the development of democracy in Iraq.
Report on a Time Frame for the Withdrawal of Troops
The resolution calls on the President to submit to Congress a time
frame for the subsequent withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq.
On April 13, 2004, President Bush stated that “as a proud and
independent people, Iraqis do not support an indefinite occupation
and neither does America” and that U.S. troops will remain in
Iraq “as long as necessary and not one day more.” Establishing
a clear time frame for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would
help to refute conspiracy theories and eliminate suspicions that obstruct
the U.S. policy goals in Iraq and undermine the legitimacy of the
Government of Iraq.
View the Iraq Resolution here
