I called Senator Herb Kohl's office before the last round of votes on appropriations for the Iraq war to ask him to vote against more money.

After he voted against the funding, I emailed him to say thank you -- something I'm afraid we do all too seldom. This is his response:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the war in Iraq. This is a sensitive and critical issue in our country and I am listening to all Wisconsinites on this critical topic.

The President has misused and abused his authority to go to war in Iraq and failed to adequately plan for the post-war situation.

This failure has resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 U.S. troops and many thousands of Iraqis. According to our intelligence community, the war in Iraq has done nothing to stop international terrorism, but instead has turned that country into fertile ground for recruiting violent extremists. The country continues to be plagued by sectarian fighting that shows no signs of letting up in the near future.

Recently, the Senate considered the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008, which includes a number of domestic spending programs as well as funding for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The version of the supplemental passed by the House of Representatives included language mandating the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by June 2009 while not providing any funds for military operations in Iraq.

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) proposed an amendment to the supplemental that provided $162 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the remainder of the year while calling for withdrawal from Iraq by June 2009. This amendment, which I supported, failed on a vote of 34-63.

Senator Reid submitted an additional amendment providing funds for Iraq without the conditions requiring withdrawal from Iraq by next summer. The amendment passed on a vote of 70-26. I opposed this amendment, because it did not call for a change in our Iraq policy.

The House will now consider the amended version of the supplemental and additional changes to the bill may occur prior to final passage by both chambers. Congress plays a vital role in the ongoing discussion of the war in Iraq, and as the debate continues on ways to end the war, I will keep in mind your strongly held beliefs.

Sincerely,

Herb Kohl

U.S. Senator

The bill will be up in the House soon. Now's the time to contact your House member -- especially if you live in Rep. Ron Kind's district, since he voted for the money last time when other Wisconsin Dems were all voting no. A thank you to the others, with a request that they keep up their opposition to the war, would be a good idea, too.