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Mr. Feingold: Mr. President, I wish to join the majority leader in marking a solemn milestone in the war in Iraq. Three thousand five hundred members of the armed services have died fighting in Iraq. Like those before them who died serving their country, those 3,500 men and women have served honorably. We are all indebted to them for their courage and patriotism, as we are indebted to the 25,950 troops who have been wounded.

It has been just under a year since the 2,500th U.S. servicemember died in Iraq. With the toll of this war continuing to mount, particularly since the President decided to escalate our involvement, we must redouble our efforts to change course in Iraq. We owe it to the troops serving in Iraq. These brave men and women signed up to defend their country, not to police an Iraqi civil war. Many of these individuals chose to join the Armed Forces as a result of the horrific attacks of September 11. Yet they have found themselves fighting in a country that had nothing to do with those attacks. As they endure untold hardship in Iraq, al-Qaida and its extremist network are rebuilding in Afghanistan, northern Africa and around the globe.

As I am sure my colleagues have done, I have been to the memorial services honoring the dead, I have handed the wounded their Purple Hearts, I have spoken to the parents whose children have returned from war with brain injuries they will live with for the rest of their lives. These experiences are a constant reminder of the responsibility we have to the brave individuals who have volunteered to defend their country. We have a duty to ensure that when they are asked to fight on our behalf, it is not on the basis of false premises and shifting rationales. We have a duty not to put them in harm's way when there is no exit strategy. Most importantly, we have a duty to bring them home because we know there is no military solution to the war they are fighting.

We must help the Iraqi people rebuild their country and we must work to build the broad international coalition that is needed to help bring peace and stability to Iraq. But our servicemembers in Iraq have been asked to do the impossible--they have been asked to resolve political and other differences by military force. The Congress has the power to change this misguided policy by forcing the President to redeploy U.S. troops. Measures that express the need for a policy shift, and concern for the well-being of the troops, may be well-intended but they do not go far enough and they will not help the troops. Only binding legislation requiring redeployment will prevent further brave servicemembers from losing their lives for this administration's failed and self-defeating policies.

Many soldiers serving in Iraq have written to me to express their support for my efforts to end this war. It is with them in mind that I will continue working to end this tragic mistake.