'Russ Feingold is a traitor' proclaimed Howard Dean's Subject line in the e-mail I just received from him. Then he goes on to explain his, at first sight, inflammatory remark.
Dear Aurora,
That's what Republicans want you to think. They are so scared of having a legitimate debate about Iraq or national security that they have only one reaction to news of their failures or calls for accountability.
On Monday, Democratic Senator Russ Feingold introduced legislation to censure the President for breaking the law by creating a secret domestic spying program. Agree or disagree with his proposal, as a Senator -- and as an American -- he has the right to speak his mind and express his views without Republican Senators questioning his patriotism.
But that's exactly what happened. This week Republican Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado, in an interview with Fox News radio, said in response to Feingold's action that he has "time and time again [sided] with the terrorists".
Send a message to Senator Allard: shame on him for questioning the patriotism of another Senator.Sign this petition and it will be delivered to Allard:
It is good to see Governor Dean continue "telling it like it is", You know? I really like Howard Dean because I think that he has faith in the Democratic Base and tries his best to represent it.
In his words, I can feel the outrage at the perennial egregious behavior of the Republicans.
We've heard this cowardly nonsense from Republican leaders before. They attacked decorated Veteran and Democratic Rep. Jack Murtha for getting real on Iraq. They attacked Democratic Leader Harry Reid for shutting down the Senate to demand answers about manipulated pre-war intelligence.
They have ended the careers of generals who questioned Bush Administration talking points, and they even attack their own when respectable Republicans speak out on the disaster this administration has created in Iraq and its failure to close the gaps in our security here at home.
How true, and it is a long list of reckless Republican chicanery.
Thinking about what's happening to Senator Feingold in response to the faithfulness in his efforts to fulfill his Oath of Office, my mind revisited the times in which any person who dared tell the truth has been attacked using the brutally dishonest Right Wing Echo Machine and the opportunistic MSM.
How many more Democratic Profiles in Courage are we willing to sacrifice because of... What? Civility?, pusillanimity? Or just misguided political expedience?
Even knowing that at least two Democrat Senators are now supporting the censure resolution, I'm saddened at the thought that Feingold may be left hanging out to dry as Murtha was, even by members of his own Party who couldn't admit, by supporting him, to having made a mistake in their vote giving the President authorization to use force.
It is well established, by The President's own admission, that he knowingly broke the law by conducting warrantless eavesdropping, why are there Democrat Senators who will wait to learn more? What do they expect to find out? An more important, how will they find out? After all, this is the most secretive Administration ever, there will not be an investigation on this matter.
I'm told that a censure amounts to a political slap in the wrist, if that's the case, why not support it? May be because censoring is an on-the-record admission to the fact that President Bush has broken the law? Scary proposition, afterwards how can we answer the question: "If you believe that The President broke the law, why not call for impeachment?" I kind of hear the pundits having a field day every day for heavens knows how long. Whichever the answer given, there will be merciless political pummeling in the MSM anyway.
After witnessing the countless times in which Dems have bent over backwards to accommodate the Regressive's Agenda on matters economically devastating to an overwhelming majority of Americans, and not being able to recall one instance in which the Republicans have made a substantial concession to Democrats, why are there so many Democrats unwilling to challenge as it is their charge?
Since I do not doubt their courage and not believing that civility to their colleagues has enough weight to affect their position, I'm left with what must be the answer, an unwavering fixation on a political strategy to avoid at all cost antagonizing or turning off the undecided and the middle of the roaders(sic). I fail to understand their adherence to the acumen of a political strategy that has lost us two National Elections and numerous local races, why persist on a road that has allowed the portraying of Democrats as lacking principles, plans, ideas, guts, vision, etc., and to still persist to the point to which we make their portrayal of us match?
Even to the extreme of risking antagonizing the neglected and taken for granted base who does the walking and the manning of the trenches plu$ other thing$?
It hurts to contemplate that the conviction of doing the right thing for righteousness sake, will not save the day this time and that the results in political polls will.
Ironic that the one thing in which we emulate the Republican Party, is in an undying loyalty to a "Wining is everything" Political Philosophy.