Al for the Senate

Here are the views of the new Senator from Minnesota

Views

Franken has been a vocal critic of the Iraq War, and opposed the 2007 troop surge. However, he didn't criticize the invasion at the time, a fact he often admitted, with regret, on his radio program. In an interview with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough,^[42] Franken said that he "believed Colin Powell", whose presentation at the United Nations convinced him that the war was necessary. Franken now says he believes that Congress should refuse to pass appropriations bills to fund the war if they don't include timetables for leaving Iraq. In an interview with Josh Marshall, Franken said of the Democrats, "I think we've gotta make [Bush] say, 'OK, I'm cutting off funding because I won't agree to a timetable.'"^[43]

Franken favors transitioning to a universal health care system, with the provision that every child in America should receive health care coverage immediately. He has spoken in favor of protecting private pensions and Social Security.^[44] He has also advocated cutting subsidies for oil companies, increasing money available for college students, and cutting interest rates on student loans.^[45][46]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Franken