Aside from electing Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., last week in the primaries, Wisconsin now has additional impact on the United States nearing the stages of ending the five-year nightmare of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On Tuesday, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., continued to push forth his Iraq Redeployment Act of 2007. This bill would necessitate any funding toward an elongated war be eliminated after a span of six months.
More logically, national security funding will go solely toward the prerequisites that need to be met to end the occupation. Such rudiments include supplying safety for U.S. personnel and roads, as well as further training for Iraqi Security Forces.
This negates any theory that an exit out of Iraq will leave the nation more tarnished and depraved than it already is. Funding will also go toward more adequate equipment and preparation for U.S. troops.
The road to save future lives and money will be difficult, but it will certainly be more ideal to supply U.S. troops with the best conditions possible rather than have them continue to go to war with the army [they] have,"" as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld put so delicately in 2004.
These guidelines will ultimately bring U.S. troops home from Iraq instead of ""staying the course.""
Consequently, the United States will gain a more concentrated focus on military operations against al-Qaida rather than aimlessly attacking Third World countries that share no true tie to terrorist organizations.
The introduction and further movement of this bill is a step in the right direction for not only the people of Wisconsin, but for all who live in this great country that have struggled over this past decade.
Feingold, one of the 23 senators who voted against the joint resolution to authorize the use of U.S. Armed Forces against Iraq, has given this country something to hope for.
The question is whether he can convince enough of the Senate to vote for this act. With the experience, intelligence and clout Feingold carries, the passing of the bill seems optimistic.
Wisconsinites know this more than anyone seeing that they have continuously elected him to be a Wisconsin senator since 1993.
Considering the historical progressive movement that began in this great state 100 years ago, it's not surprising a Wisconsin Senator such as Feingold may be an overwhelming factor in the United States saving itself from further casualties and global humiliation.
While Feingold said he is ""pleased Republicans agreed to allow the Senate to debate this bill,"" he firmly addressed his impatience, concern and purpose for proposing this bill. He relied on the crucial fact that ""The American people deserve to hear why Republicans are defending the president's policy of keeping a massive troop presence in Iraq, when our military is strained and al- Qaida and its affiliates are gaining strength in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere.""
Wisconsin, America and the rest of the world will wait to hear the news on the status of bill S. 2633, which could, for better or for worse, make the difference in what the history books of the next generation entail.
Dan Josephson is a junior majoring in legal studies and political science. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com
