You are herecontent / Feingold stirs Democratic convention with criticism of war

Feingold stirs Democratic convention with criticism of war


By FRANCIS X. QUINN, http://www.journaltimes.com

AUGUSTA, Maine - Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin brought his anti-war message to the Democratic State Convention on Saturday, receiving a rousing reception from hundreds of delegates who approved an impeachment resolution targeting President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

Reiterating a regular theme that has propelled him to prominence as a potential candidate in the 2008 presidential field, Feingold urged fellow Democrats to challenge the president on domestic and foreign policy.

Acknowledging the party's keen interest in rebounding from its minority status in Congress, Feingold said regaining power was a top priority but not the sole Democratic goal.

"It's standing on principle when you have the power," Feingold said, drawing one of several standing ovations at the two-day gathering's concluding session.

Feingold introduced legislation in March seeking to censure Bush over domestic spying, saying the president broke the law and violated the Constitution when he authorized the National Security Agency to conduct a warrantless wiretapping program as part of the war on terrorism.

Feingold told convention delegates Saturday he believed the United State had responded properly to the 9/11 attacks by going to war in Afghanistan, "but Iraq is the opposite."

Reasserting his call for a U.S. troop withdrawal by the end of the year, Feingold denounced an "Iraq-centric" strategy.

"This is mismanagement of the fight against al-Qaida," said Feingold, who also spoke at the New Hampshire Democratic State Convention on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Feingold spoke at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's annual convention in Manchester, N.H. He said the Democrats will not win back majorities in Congress by default, rejecting the idea that they should just lay low and let Republicans self-destruct.

"Some say 'we've got it made ... let's not rock the boat,'" he said, "but I believe that's exactly how we lost in 2002 and 2004. We won't win by default. We won't win by just running out the clock. We'll only win if we show we are willing to discuss tough subjects or else we will be perceived as weak and full of fear."

Regaining the majority will be meaningless unless Democrats develop the backbone necessary to stand up for their principles, he said.

"The Democrats were in the majority in the U.S. Senate when we voted for the Iraq war and passed the U.S. Patriot Act," he said. "It's not enough to be in the majority, you have to stand for something."

Before launching into his stump speech before the Maine Democrats, Feingold praised them for putting the state in the Democratic column in presidential voting and touted the electability of three top-of-the-ticket Democrats seeking re-election this year _ Gov. John Baldacci and U.S. Reps. Tom Allen and Michael Michaud.

Feingold also encouraged state Democrats to expand on their successes in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives.

"The margins are too thin. We need more Democrats," he said.

Allen and Michaud have no intraparty challengers, while Brennan will be on the June 13 primary election ballot against little-known Christopher Miller of Gray.

The state convention awards no endorsements, but afforded major office candidates a chance to address some of the party's most active members.

Starting off the day, former state Senate Majority Leader Chellie Pingree, who now heads the national Common Cause organization in Washington, warned a women's breakfast audience against excessive partisanship even as she expressed hope that national elections this year and in 2008 can bring about "a very different country."

Pingree, who lost a U.S. Senate bid to Republican incumbent Susan Collins in 2002, lauded the federal Justice Department for pursuing evidence of wrongdoing in the "ethics scandal" that has embroiled the nation's capital and pointed to public financing as a way of refocusing political campaigns.

Saying that as a leader of a nonpartisan citizens' advocacy group she remains "a liberal and a progressive and a Democrat," Pingree said concerns over honesty and openness in government can prompt the public to mistrust Democrats and Republicans alike and adopt an attitude of "a pox on both their houses."

Essential to fostering faith in democracy, she said, is guaranteeing that elections are conducted fairly.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/06/03/ap-state-wi/d8i11d000.txt

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

I agree with everything the good Senator from Wisconsin says above accept the following:

"Feingold told convention delegates Saturday he believed the United State [sic] had responded properly to the 9/11 attacks by going to war in Afghanistan"

Until the whole truth comes out we will never get anywhere.

== "mainstream" democrats like Hilary won't back away from this atrocious, unjust, evil war. So that tier is unsupportable. Just another myriad manifestation of USACorp comming at the unsuspecting citizenry from a different angle.

== "progressive" democrats ( who are becoming the "mainstream" simply by listening to the people and doing the right thing) like Senator Feingold will tackle the War, domestic spying, and erosion of civil liberities. So that is a lot better. Many Steps in the right direction....

As David says in the piece just below, "Two Cheers"!

Why not Three?

Here's why:

There is an 800 Pound Gorilla of an issue in the house of American, that is going unoticed, undisturbed, and unchallenged. One that even the progressives will scarely mention, (well i suppose it depends on which progressive you are talking too).

The Gorilla is this:

The NEO-CONS THEMSELVES, *NOT* AL-QAIEDA, BLEW UP THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY IN THE HOPE OF PROMOTING AN ENDLESS WAR AGAINST AN INVISIBLE ENEMY: THEMSELVES.

THERE IS NO WAR ON TERROR, BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ATTACKED ON 9-11 BY TERRORISTS!!!!

Well, let me rephrase that. We _were_ attacked by terrorists on 9-11, just not the ones named in the report; the attack was inside job; and the assailants are alive and well.

Not only is the "War" on Iraq complete bullshit, so is the "War" on Afganistan.

UNTIL WE ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO STARE THIS HORRIBLE TRUTH IN THE FACE, WE WILL NEVER GET ANYWHERE NEAR THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM.

You can't get a little pregnant, and you can't debunk half the lie.

In short we have been "Reichtaged", which should be the source of a great deal of grief and ire if you are feeling person. I'm sure you are. That is why, i fear, nobody wants to "go there".

YET WE MUST

What even the progressives are doing is the equivalent of throwing Sauron's ring in river and hoping it will just "go away". That is not enough.

Evil must be faced in its entirety.

The Ring must be taken to the heart of the Enemy's Kingdom and thrown into the fire where it was made. There is no other option. It must be wholly undone, or nothing will have been accomplished.

Only then will we have "THREE CHEERS" to give.

(If you haven't read or seen LotR, do. It's on topic.)

--Resonator

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Speaking Events

2017

 

August 2-6: Peace and Democracy Conference at Democracy Convention in Minneapolis, Minn.

 

September 22-24: No War 2017 at American University in Washington, D.C.

 

October 28: Peace and Justice Studies Association Conference



Find more events here.

CHOOSE LANGUAGE

Support This Site

Donate.

Get free books and gear when you become a supporter.

 

Sponsors:

Speaking Truth to Empire

***

Families United

***

Ray McGovern

***

Julie Varughese

***

Financial supporters of this site can choose to be listed here.

 

Ads:

Ca-Dress Long Prom Dresses Canada
Ca Dress Long Prom Dresses on Ca-Dress.com

Buy Books

Get Gear

The log-in box below is only for bloggers. Nobody else will be able to log in because we have not figured out how to stop voluminous spam ruining the site. If you would like us to have the resources to figure that out please donate. If you would like to receive occasional emails please sign up. If you would like to be a blogger here please send your resume.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.