Feingold on Censure

FEINGOLD: It seems to me appropriate, when the spin machines are out there and people are using various language, to come out and reiterate my reasons for doing this.

I think that the press decided immediately that somehow this was a bad thing for Democrats and a good thing for  conservatives. The facts don't bear it out. You don't have the polls to prove it. The way my colleagues are responding to me suggests to me they're thinking about this, that they feel that there has to be some accountability.

So the instant decision about what the story is, actually, I think is going to backfire on those who made up the story. I don't get the feeling that I had on Monday about this -- yes, people were concerned -- I'm not getting that.

And if the right wing really believes in this country that -- Rush Limbaugh and others -- that they can somehow turn the president's reputation around by saying, "You're darn right he violated the law, and it's a good thing," I think they're just as confused as they are about their Iraq politics. People aren't buying it anymore.

So not only do I not regret it, I felt an absolute obligation to do it.

I don't think Watergate could have happened in this era of the 24-hour news cycle. That was a two-year story that started on an inside page of the Washington Post and migrated out into the public eye. The media is far too concerned with making snap judgments and instant analysis, viewing everything through the lens of politics and the horse race, that to ask them to step back and actually look at the issues, to look at accountability, to sift through the truth and the spin, is simply asking them to do too much. That's not the kind of operation they run anymore.

So far, Sens. Harkin and Boxer (my phone call made a difference!) have co-sponsored the resolution, and Sens. Kerry and Menendez have made unofficial commitments to vote for it. An ARG poll out today shows a plurality of the public favoring censure 46-44% despite virtually no support from the Democratic leadership.

But the media will continue to write stories about how this will be a rallying cry for Republicans. Look, if Democrats woke up 5 minutes late one day, Republicans would argue that failing to wake up early in a time of war gives aid and comfort to the enemy. They'll find a rallying cry no matter what. Let's stand up for principle and rally DEMOCRATS to the cause.