As I was reading Joe Klein’s recent observations on why candidates seem so remote to the public – he blames consultants – it occured to me that Russ Feingold would be a very interesting Presidential candidate. He doesn’t seem like a phony to me.
I saw Finegold’s humerous TV ads when he first got elected to the Senate because I live across the border from Wisconsin and his campaign bought lots of ads in the Duluth media.
He is a stunningly articulate candidate. He also, like Clinton before him, strikes me as being fellow who has powerful analytical skills. Unlike Clinton, however, Feingold doesn’t strike me as so calculating that he feels he has to travel through politics as though it was a minefied. That’s called “straight talk” and I like it.
One such position which has scared his fellow Democratic Senators cowering is his motion to censure the President for pushing domestic spying beyond his war time authority. I think the idea of an impeachment is foolish but I think a strong case can be made of censure which is purely symbolic. As long as Republicans control both houses of Congress it can’t pass but it seems to me to be entirely debatable and possibly justifiable.
I’m sure that his motion will incline lots of Democrats to his candidacy and I’m sure Senator Feingold senses this. If so, then the censure proposal could be calculating. Even so, I can’t help but think it comes from a genuine outrage over principle and I find that very appealing.
If I wanted another too calculating President I could support the other namebrand which has shared the Oval Office since 1988. Gosh, I hope it doesn’t come to that.
