Feingold Calls For Censure

On this mornings This Week, Sen. Russ Feingold told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he would introduce a Senate Resolution that would censure President Bush over the domestic spying scandal:

But in a copy of the censure resolution obtained by ABC News, Feingold asserts the president, "repeatedly misled the public prior to the public disclosure of the National Security Agency surveillance program by indicating his administration was relying on court orders to wiretap suspected terrorists inside the United States."

I've noted before [1] that in order for the Democrats to be taken seriously on this issue, they would have to, in essence, walk the walk. However, I've never actually advocated censuring/impeaching President Bush on this issue. I think its rather useless for a basic reason - this is not a winning issue for Democrats. Despite his plummeting poll numbers, he still polls relatively well on this issue. There's a lot of time between now and November for the President to get his sea legs and appear strong, once again, on national security.

Feingold is certainly attempting to walk the walk with this stunt. He knows its going nowhere. However, I suspect he doesn't care. This is not about actually holding the president accountable; this about Feingold's own Presidential ambitions. He's trying to cozy up to the liberal wing of the Democratic party. He's essentially telling them, 'I've been against the Patriot Act since the beginning, I want to censure this President - I'm your guy for '08.' Feingold may very well be the ultra-liberal choice for the Democratic nomination in '08 - but he won't get the nomination.

I'd love to say that I admire Feingold's backbone on this issue, but I can't. He, just like every other presidential hopeful, is positioning themselves for '08 and trying to develop a base. This is nothing more than a nod to the liberal 'Deaniac' wing of the Democratic party.

Quick Note: I do feel that the NSA program is, most likely, illegal. However, I'm not talking about legalities, I'm talking about politics.

[1] Here's me from February 15:

Some Republicans (especially those in moderate-liberal districts/states) have been eager to distance themselves from the president on many issues, including domestic and foreign policies. However, the NSA controversy is a different beast entirely - while certainly controversial, Republicans have begun to frame this debate as one of essential national security vs. liberal whining over legal technicalities. Rove and company have made it clear what the GOP national security platform will be (it should sound familiar): Democrats have a pre-9/11 world view and will not protect you and your family in these dire times. The NSA spying controversy is actually a relatively strong issue for the President - he has come out swinging from the beginning and will continue to do so. [...] As Iowa Gov. Vilsack recently implied(and I predicted soon after the program was revealed...), the Democrats are falling right into this trap and are once again allowing the GOP to frame this debate. Unless Dems start talking seriously about sanctioning the administration (i.e. censure, impeachment) for this abuse, they will look like a bunch of whining softies. Obviously, without a majority in either house of Congress, talking about censuring/impeaching the president is useless. Most Americans (including myself) aren't very well versed on the inner workings of the FISA Court - thus, citing abstract, legal objections to the program may not be wise.