Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold Reacting to the President’s Remarks at the American Legion National Convention August 31, 2006 “The American people don’t buy the President’s attempt to repackage a failed policy. New slogans are no replacement for correcting a devastating Iraq policy. The President needs to acknowledge that our Iraq-centric foreign policy is weakening our fight against those who are responsible for the attacks on our nation nearly five years ago and is undermining our national security. While we have been bogged down in Iraq, terrorist networks have developed new capabilities and sophistication and have tapped in to new sources of support throughout the world. We have seen terrorist attacks in India, Morocco, Turkey, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Spain, Great Britain, and elsewhere. In addition, extremist Islamists have established a firm footing in Somalia and are causing growing levels of instability in Afghanistan. Redeploying our large troop presence out of Iraq will allow Iraqis to take ownership of their own country, and allow the United States to refocus its resources on the threat posed by al Qaeda and other global terrorist networks.”

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