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This time, Feingold is battling a Democrat in the White House
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| Contributor | Craverguy |
| Last Edited | Craverguy Sep 21, 2009 03:56am |
| Category | Commentary |
| News Date | Sep 15, 2009 05:00am |
| Description | Sen. Russ Feingold has again staked out a lonely position on national security — but for the first time, he faces a fight with a Democratic president.
The Wisconsin senator is the only Democrat in the upper chamber to call on President Barack Obama to set a flexible timeline for withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan.
It is familiar territory for the liberal stalwart with a libertarian streak. He stood alone in the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the only senator to vote against a massive expansion of intelligence-gathering powers dubbed the Patriot Act. He was also the first senator to call for U.S. troops to leave Iraq in 2005.
The difference then was he was opposing President George W. Bush. Now he’s standing firm against a man whom he supported in the election — without any apologies.
“I just speak my mind, I call ’em as I see ’em,” Feingold told The Hill. “If something bothers me, I say it. I don’t wait for the water to be warm. If I think something’s wrong, I think it’s my job to identify it.”
This time around, he may have some company sooner.
On Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called for the American mission in Afghanistan to be “time-limited” and said the administration should tell Congress exactly when troops will return home. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) have signaled concerns that suggest they may join Feingold.
That could force Obama to rely on Republican support if he decides to increase troop levels without setting a withdrawal date. |
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