Kohl says troops need to come home now

U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl slammed President Bush for the direction and entry into the war in Iraq, calling the conflict a "collosal mistake."

"We must end that conflict. Iraqis have failed time and time again, we can no longer wait for reason or hope or clarity from the Bush administration," Kohl said. "We need to bring our troops home now and only Democrats can lead the way."

Kohl also said that the Dem success in 2006 was a signal that the country believes in their message.

"The success of the 2006 election shows that we are on the right track," Kohl said.

Kohl also slammed the Bush administration for its management of the U.S. Department of Justice, and touted Congressional Democrats for holding Bush accountable.

"You could say the Democratic Congress put the spice back in the supboena," Kohl said.

Kohl ended his speech with a heartfelt thank you.

"Thank you very much for all you've done for me, I do deeply love you," Kohl said.

Kohl came back to the microphone after his speech and exit music, saying he is going to work "awfully hard" to internationalize commerce for our state.

"A fellow by the name of Yi ... we're going to try awfully hard to bring Yi to Wisconsin," Kohl said, referring to Yi Jianlian, the MIlwaukee Bucks first round draft pick who was initially reported to not want to play in Wisconsin.

-- By Matt Dolbey