Mr. Feingold Goes to Iowa

Russ Feingold had a busy Saturday participating in listening sessions that spanned two states.

Yes, Maverick Man Russ briefly listened to Wisconsinites in Platteville before going West into the land of his hopes and dreams -- Iowa.

It's been a slow process, but Feingold is becoming a bit more forthcoming about his presidential aspirations.

In August of 2005, Feingold coyly dodged the issue, saying, "...whether or not I run or not, I'm going to think about later."

A few weeks ago on Meet the Press, Feingold was being much more flirtatious.

MR. RUSSERT: When will you decide whether you’re running?

SEN. FEINGOLD: I’m going to look at this, Tim, after the elections in 2006. I need to look at what happens in the congressional races, how are the ideas I’ve been presenting been resonating with the American people, and decide whether this is something that makes sense or whether it’s better for me to remain in the United States Senate.

So, he's still technically uncommitted to running, but wishing and hoping in a very committed sort of way.


But I digress. Back to the listening sessions--

First, let's look at the Platteville rest stop Feingold took on his way to Iowa to campaign for the presidency.

People in Grant County apparently wanted to talk to Russ about Israel.

PLATTEVILLE -- Sen. Russ Feingold on Saturday defended Israel's right to protect itself amid the escalating conflict along its borders, saying "I don't think any country is going to let their soldiers be kidnapped, transported, killed . . . without a serious response."

Feingold said he would not second-guess "whether that response was exactly as it should be."

Said Feingold: "My hope would be that Israel would use as much restraint as possible. . . . It's in Israel's interest and the interests of peace. But I do think Israel has not only a right but also a responsibility to respond to the Hezbollah attack."

Feingold is basically saying exactly what President Bush has said on the issue.

That position is probably not likely to sit well with Feingold's supporters on the radical Left -- the pro-Palestinian, terrorist appeasers.

The Wisconsin Democrat, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke with reporters about the issue as he set off on a political swing through Iowa. He is a potential 2008 presidential candidate.

The subject was raised at listening sessions Feingold held Saturday in both Platteville and in Dubuque, the first in his capacity as a senator and the second, a political event.

That's funny!

Now let's be clear.

Feingold listened in Platteville as a senator.

Feingold listened in Dubuque as a political event attendee.

Same subject, but different personas?

In Wisconsin, he wasn't a potential presidential candidate.

Once over the border into Iowa, Feingold shed his senator's skin.

Does that mean that while in Platteville he played the part of a public servant, but when he was in Dubuque, he was a slick politician, come a-courting?

Will the real Russ Feingold please stand up, please stand up, please stand up?

When a constituent at the Wisconsin session criticized both the Palestinians and the Israeli government for taking a "dysfunctional" approach to the conflict and said the U.S. needed to "lean on Israel" to change its behavior, Feingold offered a different view.

"There's blame to go around for everybody," he said, but argued that Israel had been acting constructively in recent years and blamed Hezbollah, Iran and Syria for provoking the current crisis.

Feingold is being very hawkish.

That may alienate the hard Left libs who have cast him as the anti-Hillary, the new George McGovern.

Craig Gilbert offers more from on the road with Russ.

Feingold gave his thoughts about the 2008 election.

"The reason you're seeing so many people at least thinking about running ... it's such an open, unusual presidential election, you don't have a president running for re-election, you don't have a vice president running," he said. "So anybody that's ever had a fantasy of running for president can sort of go, 'Well, why don't I go to Iowa?'"

True, it's a completely open election; unless Dick Cheney resigns in 2007 to allow for a Bush successor to be groomed, as the nuts on the Left predict.

We do know that Feingold fantasizes about a presidential run. That's got to be one of the worst kept political secrets of all time.

And of course, thanks to his interview in the July issue of GQ, we know that Feingold fantasizes about Sharon Stone, too.

I don't think the two fantasies are mutually exclusive, though I doubt that the Sharon Stone fantasy has anything to do with Iowa.

Anyway, after Feingold shook the Wisconsin dust off, it was on to Dubuque.

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Voter unrest over the war in Iraq has elevated foreign policy issues to a rare level of importance in Democratic politics and is the top concern at the moment, potential presidential candidate Russ Feingold said Saturday.

"At the moment, it is probably the most defining issue," the Democratic senator from Wisconsin said. "Whether or not it will be in the middle of the election is not clear."

Feingold opened his second swing through Iowa, where precinct caucuses traditionally open the presidential nominating season, with a heavy schedule of events. They included meetings with activists and fundraising for candidates.

"A heavy schedule of events," in IOWA.

I really wish that Feingold would concentrate on being Wisconsin's senator and listening to his constituents instead of feeding his personal political fantasies.

...Feingold said voters are looking at politicians' positions on the [Iraq] war as a fundamental statement.

"It really suggests whether people have the judgment to make the right calls not only to fight terrorism but not make the kind of mistakes the Bush administration has made," Feingold said.

Speaking of making the right calls, Feingold wouldn't know a right call regarding the War on Terror if it slapped him in the face.

A Feingold presidency would be disastrous as far as combatting terrorism goes. His policies, which work to protect would-be terrorists and put Americans at greater risk, would no doubt be greatly welcomed by our enemies.

The truth is if Feingold had the "judgment to make the right calls," he wouldn't be working to destroy our President during wartime.

He wouldn't pull a cheap stunt like introducing a resolution to censure the Commander in Chief while our troops are in harm's way.

He wouldn't be trying to score political points with the Daily Kos crowd on the backs of our soldiers.

He wouldn't have suggested that December 31, 2006 should be the deadline to withdraw American troops from Iraq.

He wouldn't join forces with John Kerry and pull a new deadline, July 1, 2007, out of the air.

Now what was that again about judgment?