Dear Senator Feingold,
Now that the dust has settled on the 2006 elections, most of us now are turning our heads toward the 2008 campaign season and wondering who will or will not run for President. I urge you to take the next step and declare your candidacy soon.
The reason that I ask you to take this difficult step is that America needs you. We need your independence, plain spokenness and the common sense you showed in voting against the war and the PATRIOT Act and your sense of fiscal responsibility that consistently wins you awards. The road out of Iraq will be, according to most experts, a long and difficult one. Only a war opponent will have the political leverage to ensure that we get out of there responsibly -- in a way that protects our troops and does not leave the region a shambles. Equally important to me is your deep commitment toward privacy. You have been a lonely voice championing civil liberties and fighting the excesses against them that have been instituted by this administration.
More importantly, I believe that you can win, and that's the opinion of someone who has worked in Presidential campaigns for 20 years. American voters are ready, even eager, for an independent voice who tells it like it is. They may not always agree with you, but they respect honesty. The fact that you've won three elections in Wisconsin tells me you have the political skills to get this done.
The war in Iraq was the big issue of our time and out of all the potential candidates out there, you seem to be the only one who got it right. I should think that in a general election, with an electorate strongly dissatisfied with what has occurred, your early opposition would be a huge advantage. The advantage in the primaries and caucuses will be even bigger.
The stakes in 2008 are huge, as there is much that needs to be done to improve America's standing overseas, strengthen our struggling middle class and restore our core Constitutional values and fiscal sanity to government. The challenges facing our 44th President will be huge and the job will not be easy. But someone will have to do it and I think you are the man for the job.
And I'm willing to help. I've worked on four Presidential campaigns and this is one I'm willing to do for free. I'm willing to pack up and come to Wisconsin or wherever you set up shop for the duration. I feel that strongly, even though it means a temporary absence from sunny and warm Los Angeles.
I know how hard it is to run for President; the physical toll is staggering and the family burdens immense. Nonetheless, the country needs you. Please take the next step and declare.
Best regards,
mattinla