Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On the Resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld November 8, 2006 I welcome President Bush’s decision to accept Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s resignation. If it were up to me he would have been gone a long time ago. But Secretary Rumsfeld’s departure is only a small step in fixing the larger problem that stems from the President's failed Iraq policy. The President has continually refused to change our current approach in Iraq despite a growing number of policymakers and experts, including many Republicans, advocating for a change of course. And the President has refused to acknowledge the devastating consequences of an indefinite military presence in Iraq. As I have argued for over a year, a timetable for the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq will help pressure the Iraqis to get their political house in order and will help the U.S. military refocus on defeating global terrorist networks.

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