WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, SportsSenator Feingold disagrees with the President's policy on Afghanistan

Senator Feingold disagrees with the President's policy on Afghanistan

By Katie Rosenberg

WASHINGTON DC (WAOW)--Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) says that he's opposed the troop build up in Afghanistan because it's a misguided mission.

Feingold says that he supported the mission to go after Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan 8 years ago. However now, he says, al-Qaeda strongholds are headquartered in Pakistan. Further, he believes that an increase in troops in Afghanistan will push the extremists into Pakistan and destabilize that country.

"Many believe, and I'm one of them, that this could push more extremists into Pakistan and destabilize a country that's much more dangerous," Feingold said in a phone interview on Wednesday. "So when the President says we need to do this to finish the job, I say, ‘What job?' Al-Qaeda is not based in Afghanistan anymore and to the extent they're there, we can handle it without putting hundreds of thousands of troops."

Feingold says that America doesn't need to invade other countries to defeat al-Qaeda. He says that we can go after them by working with the local governments.

Online Reporter: Katie Rosenberg