You fight the battles worth fighting

The Patriot Act is going to be renewed. Sen. Feingold put up one hell of a fight against pretty impossible odds, and was able to force some concessions. Whether or not those concessions mean anything is a different story. But he raised awareness of the debate, and earned one admirer:

Sen. Robert Byrd, the dean of the Senate and its resident constitutional expert, counts only a few regrets in his 48-year Senate career: filibustering the 1964 Civil Rights Act, voting to expand the Vietnam War, deregulating airlines.

Add to the list a new one from this century: supporting the anti-terror USA Patriot Act after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"The original Patriot Act is a case study in the perils of speed, herd instinct and lack of vigilance when it comes to legislating in times of crisis," the West Virginia Democrat said Monday on the eve of the Senate's final votes on its renewal. "The Congress was stampeded, and the values of freedom, justice and equality received a trampling in the headlong rush." [...]

His position allies him with Sen. Russell Feingold, a relative Senate newcomer who nonetheless foresaw potential problems with the original Patriot Act before Byrd or any other member of the Senate. In 2001, Feingold, D-Wis., cast the lone vote against the new terror-fighting law.

"I wish I had voted as he did," Byrd lamented on the Senate floor.

Taking principled stances, whether popular or unpopular, will help revive the brand of the Democratic Party. Russ Feingold is simply not concerned about how vote will poll, or how it will play to security moms, or whether it will give Republicans an opening to say that he has been hijacked by "the far left issue groups." If he did, he wouldn't have been that one lonely senator casting his vote against the Patriot Act in 2001. Russ Feingold cares about principle. He believes in respecting Americans' civil liberties and is wary of federal power. He believes in the Constitution. Hell, he READ IT, the entire goddamn thing, with the amendments, on the Senate floor yesterday. He also said this:

I am disappointed in this result obviously but I believe this fight has been worth making and my dedication to changing the Patriot Act is as strong now as it has ever been. We have made some progress since October 2001. The public understands the issues better and I think many of my colleagues do too.

Even just a few days ago, I was heartened when the senator from Pennsylvania, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the foremost proponent of the conference report, actually announced that he would essentially take the four amendments that I had opened to offer, the amendments that I was denied the right to offer here in the senate, and combine them into a bill that he will now seek to move through the judiciary committee and enact into law [...]

I want to start with the basic principles. Our nation's strength comes not only from our mighty economy and our unmatched military might but from our constitutional system and our reverence for the rule of law. That is what has kept us free for over two and a quarter centuries in our history as a nation. Millions of patriotic Americans love this country and support our military men and women in their difficult missions abroad but worry about the fate of our constitution here at home.

Our constitutional freedoms, our American values are what make our country worth fighting for as we strive to defeat the terrorists who threaten us. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are documents that we often talk about and less often actually pick up and reread. In light of their central importance to the debate about the Patriot Act, I thought it would be worth reading them today.

Then he went on to read the WHOLE constitution. You can listen to it here.

Feingold understands exactly how to get the Party on the right footing again; forget the consultants, forget the fears of looking "soft on terrorism" (because the other side will paint you that way no matter what), and simply fight for your principles. This quote says it all:

"If Democrats can't stand up on something like this when the president's poll numbers are 34 percent, I just wonder how much right we have to govern this country," Feingold said in an interview Tuesday. "You've got to show people you believe in something, not just that you're gaming the issues."

All Feingold needs is exposure and I think the American people would love him. He understands that you fight the battles worth fighting.

P.S. Indeed it is worth noting that Feingold DID force two months of delay, raised awareness, got concessions (however cosmetic) and received assurances from Judiciary Committee Chairman Specter for new hearings and new bills incorporating the amendments that go even further to protect civil liberties. It wasn't just taking a stand. He accomplished.

P.P.S. Watch Russ' podcast. He frames the issue perfectly.