Feingold has his eye on life and death issues in Afghanistan

Feingold has his eye on life and death issues in Afghanistan

Amid all the policy wrangling about how much Congress will compromise on Wall Street reform and all the political wrangling about whether Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul really is a Neanderthal, it is easy to think that no one in official Washington is focused on the awful reality that Americans are fighting and dying in a distant land.

But Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold is keeping track of the conflict -- an undeclared war that began with an ill-defined invasion and has turned into a seemingly endless occupation.

Last week, Feingold noted: “Our nation marked a grim milestone this week when the 1,000th American service member died as a result of service in and around Afghanistan. My thoughts are with all our brave men and women in uniform and their families for the sacrifices they have made on behalf of our country. After nearly nine years in Afghanistan, we continue to risk further loss of American lives to sustain a massive, open-ended military presence that undermines our ability to tackle al-Qaida’s global network. It is long past time that we set a flexible timetable for withdrawing our forces from Afghanistan so we are better able to pursue a global strategy to combat al-Qaida. I plan to offer an amendment that would require the president to provide such a timetable when the Senate considers a war funding bill in the coming days.”

Perhaps it is the fact that Feingold is paying attention to what is happening in Afghanistan that explains his determination to do something about it. With Congressman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the Wisconsin Democrat has introduced legislation that would require the president to set a flexible timetable to draw down U.S. troops in Afghanistan, with the goal of enhancing national security and reducing the burden on U.S. armed forces and taxpayers.

He is, of course, right -- as anyone who is paying attention to Afghanistan well understands.

Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.