Yesterday, Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin broke a Washington taboo. He called for a "timetable" for withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan.
ABC News reports:
"I think it is time we start discussing a flexible timetable so that people around the world can see when we are going to bring our troops out," said Feingold. "Showing the people there and here that we have a sense about when it is time to leave is one of the best things we can do," he added.
Feingold made the comments in an interview with the editorial board of the Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wisconsin. Feingold also said:
I think (our presence) is increasing the extremism and increasing the resentment toward the United States.
The idea of an open-ended commitment with no vision of when it will end is a problem. I want a flexible timetable and a public vision of what we intend.
Senator Feingold's statements represent an important breakthrough. Though Feingold has been quite critical of the ongoing military escalation, this is, to my knowledge, the first time he, or any other U.S. Senator, has publicly uttered the word "timetable" in the context of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.
In June, Representative Jim McGovern's amendment requiring the Pentagon to present Congress with an exit strategy from Afghanistan was supported by a majority of House Democrats, including key members of the House leadership, like Rep. David Obey (Chair of Appropriations) and Rep. John Murtha (Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.)
But until now there has been no corresponding movement in the U.S. Senate.
What we urgently need now is to help Senator Feingold to bring other Senators with him -- Senator Sanders, Senator Brown, Senator Mikulski, Senator Harkin, Senator Begich, Senator Franken, Senator Merkley ... they should all be saying some version of what Senator Feingold is saying. That would be more likely if Senator Feingold would introduce a resolution calling for a timetable for withdrawal. Then, the constituents of these Senators could urge their Senators to co-sponsor Senator Feingold's resolution.
Just Foreign Policy has been urging the Senate to take up debate on how long U.S. forces are going to be in Afghanistan. You can add your voice here.