The message of the Connecticut primary is "much larger" than that state or either candidate, Russ Feingold said today in a speech to the Milwaukee Press Club. As to the message that our Senator get from yesterday's election, it "could push him in the direction of running" -- but he won't say more until after the November elections.
Read on, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (tomorrow's edition but online now).
. . . .Feingold, who is weighing a presidential bid, issued a statement today backing Lamont. In a visit to the Milwaukee Press Club, Feingold said: "America knows a disastrous mistake was made in Iraq."
Noting he has visited all 72 Wisconsin counties for listening sessions, and made stops in 16 states, Feingold said: "You're simply not listening if you don't know the American people have had it with this mistake and want it to end."
Feingold has called for setting a timetable for a troop withdrawal from Iraq and reiterated his view that keeping troops there tends to fuel the insurgency.
"I'm not going to say there will be any problems after we leave," he said, but added of the potential for civil war and continued violence: "My guess is it would be less."
Feingold has said he will not decide whether to enter the 2008 presidential contest until after the Nov. 7 election, saying the results will help him determine what kind of support there is nationwide for his message. He said he'd have to answer several questions for himself: Is he ready, can he win and does he want to be president.
Feingold said it "isn't in me just to do it to make a statement." He also indicated Tuesday's result in Connecticut could push him in the direction of running. Feingold said he received a call today from a friend in Chicago who noted: "If you were looking for an excuse not to run for president, you didn't get it last night."