Russ Feingold has done it again. After voting against the Patriot Act extension along with only 9 others, the Senator gave a floor speech in which he was absolutely on
fire.
Without freedom, we are not America. If we don't preserve our liberties, we cannot win this war, no matter how many terrorists we capture or kill.
That is why the several Senators who have said at one time or another during this debate things like, "Civil liberties do not mean much when you are dead" are wrong about America at the most basic level. They do not understand what this country is all about. Theirs is a vision that the founders of this nation, who risked everything for freedom, would categorically reject. And so do the American people.
So, it's no longer just Russ fighting against the act as it was back in 2001 when he was the ONLY senator to vote against the Patriot Act. (Interestingly, assuming Bernie Sanders gets elected to the Senate in November, there will be 2 Senators who voted against the Patriot Act. As some Feingold supporters are fond of saying, no one who voted against the Patriot Act has lost an election.) And, if you're worried that the Senator can't defend his own votes, check out this
TV-AD on the Patriot Act that was put out for his 2004 reelection.
But, who else opposes this act? Are they just wacky hippy lefties? Well, Russ Feingold thinks they represent a broad cross section of America.
The negative reaction to the Patriot Act has been overwhelming. Over 400 state and local government bodies passed resolutions pleading with Congress to change the law. Citizens have signed petitions, library associations and campus groups have organized to petition the Congress to act, numerous editorials have been written urging Congress not to reauthorize the law without adequate protections for civil liberties. These things occurred because Americans across the country recognize that the Patriot Act includes provisions that pose a threat to their privacy and liberty -- values that are at the very core of what this country represents, of who we are as a people.
The Senator also went on to explain why he's not pessimistic.
Americans want to defeat terrorism, and they want the basic character of this country to survive and prosper. They want to empower the government to protect the nation from terrorists, and they want protections against government overreaching and overreacting. They know it might not be easy, but they expect the Congress to figure out how to do it. They don't want defeatism on either score. They want both security and liberty, and unless we give them both - and we can, if we try - we have failed.
This fight is not over Mr. President. The vote today will not assuage the deep and legitimate concerns that the public has about the Patriot Act. I am convinced that in the end, the government will respond to the people, as it should. We will defeat the terrorists, and we will preserve the freedom and liberty that make this the greatest country on the face of the earth.
In the end, the Senator's comments are optimistic and uplifiting. The Congress (Republican and Democratic alike) has failed us time and time again. But, the American people are fundamentally good and will make changes.
Hopefully one of the changes and steps in the right direction will be electing Senator Feingold as president. Make a pledge to contribute to his future 2008 campaign to show support for the Senator today.