Feingold was right, again

[Karmadillo]

So says this brief editorial.

http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/index.php?ntid=83701&ntpid=0

Congressional Democrats are up in arms about the fact that the National Security Agency has been spying on the phone records of tens of millions of Americans.

Back when we only knew that they were spying on thousands of Americans, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., sought to censure President Bush for ordering the NSA to conduct illegal wiretaps.

a little more...

[katinmn]

1. He was right, and he was attacked by his own party for it.

I'll never forgive Dayton for publicly minimizing Feingold as someone who criticized Boosh as a political ploy.

If Feingold were truly interested only in making political points, he'd be sucking up like HC.

[blm]

2. Censure is the right thing to do, but not as an alternative to impeachment

If you recall, Feingold chose to sell censure to the media as an alternative to impeachment. It's Conyers who actually has it righter than any senator, so far (including Kerry who supports Feingold.

Even though I do support censure, I do NOT want it sold as an alternative to impeachment, and that is where Feingold got it wrong.

[Sugarcoated]

4. No that's not exactly accurate

He said, when asked about impeachment, that it wasn't out of the question. Censure is a first step, the least we should do.

[pacalo]

3. That was one of my first thoughts after hearing about the database.

His recommendation for censure is looking all the more appropriate.

As for impeachment, I'm not bothered by the Democrats' public comments against it, because I remember the Watergate hearings began not with the goal of impeachment, but to learn more about the break-in. The more they learned, the more the Republicans realized there was no turning back. I believe this is what today's Democrats have in mind: Get their feet in the door with investigative hearings.