(H/T – Ed Morrissey)
Wisconsin’s own embarrassment, Russ Feingold, has fully flip-flopped on filibustering the FISA compromise reached by the White House and Congress.
Feingold when the compromise was reached (via WisPolitics):
"The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation. The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have participated in the President’s illegal program,….”
Feingold on Tuesday as reported by the Green Bay Press-Gazette:
Feingold said he and other Senate opponents won’t try to stop the vote, but they “won’t allow it to pass quickly.”
Instead, Feingold, D-Wis., told an audience at the New America Foundation that he plans to highlight the bill’s flaws in floor speeches.
Feingold yesterday per the Huffington Post:
“This is a deeply flawed bill, which does nothing more than offer retroactive immunity by another name. We strongly urge our colleagues to reject this so-called "˜compromise’ legislation and oppose any efforts to consider this bill in its current form. We will oppose efforts to end debate on this bill as long as it provides retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that may have participated in the President’s warrantless wiretapping program, and as long as it fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans.” (emphasis added)
I wonder if Feingold remembers what happened to the last liberal ‘Rat who told his home-state constituents one thing and did the exact opposite. Does Tom Daschle ring a bell? Hopefully the Wisconsin GOP will finally have its act together by 2010.
Some look at Feingold and see a waffler. Others see a maverick. I see an embarrassment.
Maybe we should cut Feingold some slack. I think the poor guy is still reeling from his broken presidential dreams.
I hope someone has told the Wisconsin GOP that Feingold will be up for reelection in 2010. The party tends to be caught off guard when it comes to U.S. Senate campaigns.
I don’t think the 300,000 people that voted for Bush who also supported Feingold in the last election consider HIM the embarrassment. The fact is that many of those same voters are embarrassed that they voted for W. GOP can’t win wars, balance budgets or strengthen our position in the global economy.