Sen. Feingold: Vote On Iraq Again and Again

Posted by Jane Hamsher at 2:00 PM on October 3, 2007.

This post, written by Jane Hamsher, originally appeared on FireDogLake

Russ Feingold proves he's maybe the only one in the Senate who can read a fucking poll:

One question that I keep getting asked by reporters is why Democrats aren't reaching out to moderate Republicans to come up with some sort of consensus legislation. I also see stories criticizing the Democratic leadership for failing to bring in Republican moderates to pass legislation. My response is simple -- what good is getting 60 or 67 votes to pass a nonbinding Sense of the Senate resolution on Iraq that doesn't bring the troops home? When I hold my town hall meetings in Wisconsin, nobody is asking me to push for an empty compromise. They ask me how we can finally end this war. This summer we heard a growing chorus of Republicans call for change in Iraq but their words have proven to be empty. If members are serious about changing course in Iraq, Feingold-Reid is the surest way to do it.

The American people have been clear in what they want -- an end to this war. Last November, Democrats were saying all the right things but now it's time to follow through. I know some of my colleagues want to avoid any Iraq debate on the Defense appropriations bill. Sorry, but Iraq is the most important issue we face and the Senate must address it as we take up the Defense spending bill this week. That's why I will again be offering an amendment to set a deadline for bringing our troops home. I intend to do so today.

Well he's got the support of Chris Dodd at the very least.

Feingold is clearly having his arm twisted to STFU and let the Democrats kick the can down the street and deal with the defunding debate in January. As I mentioned not long ago, "Democratic Strategist" Doug Schoen has Harry Reid's ear and his wisdom is clearly infecting a leadership salivating over potential electoral gains in 2008:

Right now, Democrats clearly have the '08 advantage. The American people are fed up with George Bush and the Republicans. Democrats have opened up double-digit leads on party identification and the generic congressional vote.

But the Democratic Party is also vulnerable on Iraq, where the lead over the Republicans dropped 10 percent in August to a narrow four percent margin. Rather than harp on the withdrawal, the Democrats should continue to strike a bipartisan tone and refocus the debate to other international and domestic issues. This will help them carry the day in November 2008.

And that pile of dead bodies that will be mounting between now and January? Don't mind them.

Feingold is making a bold move. If the MoveOn amendment can make it to the floor, this one can too.

Tagged as: iraq war, feingold, democratic congress

Jane Hamsher is the founder of FireDogLake. Her work has also appeared on the Huffington Post, Alternet and The American Prospect.