Russ Feingold has a debate - and a request

I'm posting an email I got today from the Progressive Patriot Fund. This stuff's important. Bush doesn't leave for 11 months.

You may have heard that after months of filibustering the Senate agreed yesterday, on a 70-24 vote, to have a debate on the Feingold-Reid bill which uses Congress's "power of the purse" to safely redeploy our troops out of Iraq. Now to be clear, Republicans agreed to have this debate because they're under the false impression that Democrats may be embarrassed to debate the war in Iraq.

I disagree, and so do the vast majority of the American people.


Add your name to thousands of others, and get your friends and family to join us in supporting Feingold-Reid.

I'm pleased the Senate has decided to address Iraq and how our continued military involvement there is distracting us from defeating the global terrorist threat from al Qaeda and its affiliates. But according to at least one news report this morning, some senators, even Democratic senators, don't agree.

According to the story, one senator has called the Iraq debate "a waste of time." Another called the debate a "diversion." Yet another said that Feingold-Reid was "too restrictive." And all of these are quotes from Democratic members.

We must keep up the pressure - help push this issue forward.

The American people demand a debate, and thanks to your support, we've moved the ball a long way since first introducing this legislation last year. We must continue to work together in our combined effort to end one of the biggest mistakes in our country's history.

There will now be up to 30 hours of debate on this bill and it's up to each and every one of us to make sure Republicans and Democrats in the Senate feel the heat.

Add your name to thousands of others, and get your friends and family to join us in supporting Feingold-Reid.

Thanks again for your continued support.

Sincerely,






Russ Feingold
United States Senator
Honorary Chair, Progressive Patriots Fund