And now for something completely different. Feingold says he has no plans now to run:

[elocs]

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_9983f220-1b50-11e0-988f-001cc4c002e0.html

MILWAUKEE - When U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold lost his re-election bid in November, he created a buzz with a cryptic reference to the next election year. "It's on to the next battle," he told supporters in a brief concession speech. "It's on to 2012, and it is on to our next adventure."

That reference launched plenty of speculation. Political observers noted that his Democratic colleague, Sen. Herb Kohl, will be up for re-election that year but may decide against seeking a fifth term at age 77. That could open the door for another Feingold run. Or maybe he was aiming higher - perhaps a challenge to President Barack Obama in a bid to win the White House or at least push his fellow Democrat further to the left.

Feingold dispelled both rumors this week. He said he simply mentioned 2012 to remind Democrats that their chance to turn things around is only two years away.

"What I was saying was, people who care about our country should be concerned about re-electing Obama," he told The Associated Press. "I was trying to urge all of my supporters to understand that even though we had a bad night, we will have good night in 2012. There was no agenda regarding myself."