Asked and answered: A timetable on Iraq

Kevin Drum can be pretty nimble when the occasion calls for it. Early this morning he wondered aloud if and when major-league Democrats would fill the leadership vacuum on the left and call for a timed withdrawal from Iraq. Hours later, he notes that Russ Feingold of Wisconsin has done that very thing. Roger Simon of U.S. News & World Report gave this account yesterday:

Sen. Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, will call Thursday for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq by Dec. 31, 2006.

Feingold, who is exploring a run for the presidency in 2008, told U.S. News: “I believe I am the first senator [to set a deadline]. It says: Here is the date by which we ought to finish the mission.”

While polls indicate widespread discontent in this country over President Bush’s conduct of the war in Iraq, few Democrats have offered any real alternative to Bush’s policy of “staying the course.”

Even this June, when Feingold introduced a resolution in Senate that called on the president to clarify the mission in Iraq and lay out “a plan and timeframe for accomplishing that mission,” the senator did not call for a deadline for withdrawing troops.

Back then, Feingold said he was not dictating “deadlines or dates certain . . . because drawing up timeframes is best and most appropriately left to the Administration, in consultation with military leaders.”

Now, however, Feingold has changed his mind and believes a deadline is necessary.

“I offered a resolution and tried to engage colleagues and asked the president to give us a vision,” he said. “The president has simply refused to give us a mission or timeframe to bring the troops home.”

None of this vague, empty “stay the course” crap for Feingold. As Drum notes, Feingold opposed the war and has been a consistent critic, which sets him apart from the likes of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and other Democratic presidential aspirants. Feingold is considering a run at the White House, and he may have stolen a march on these competitors by taking an actual stand on the one issue that matters to Americans just now. If nothing else, a serious Democratic alternative to the Bush non-plan for Iraq will force George Bush to be more forthcoming.

Addendum: Melissa and Ezra also take note of Feinberg, with pretty much the same general notions that I had. A little smarter, maybe, but I hold no grudges.

Technorati Tags: Russ Feingold, Iraq, Democrats