Quotes of the Week: Feingold on the Surreal SOTU and on Voting Against Extending the Patriot Act

It was surreal and disrespectful to our system of government and to the oath that as elected officials we have all sworn to uphold. Cheering? Clapping? Applause? All for violating the law?"

---- US Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), on February 2, 2006

Senator Feingold's comment was written as part of his most recent blog post entitled Pre-1776 Mentality at top liberal community blog DailyKos.

Russ Feingold is best known for his work with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to clean-up election campaign finance abuses, via the Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002. In 2001, he was the lone Senator who voted against the USA Patriot Act, despite intense pressure to make the vote unanimous. He voted against the Iraq War in 2002, and in 2005, was the first senator to call for a specific timetable for US troops to exit Iraq.

On February 2, 2006, Senator Feingold was again the lone senator to vote against extension of the US Patriot Act, this time for five weeks. In doing so, he released this statement:

"I voted against another short-term extension of the Act because it does not include the modest but critical safeguards I and others have fought for over the past four years.

In the five weeks since the Patriot Act was extended, the House and White House have refused to engage in serious bipartisan negotiations on fixing the problems with the Act. Now, they are apparently offering to make a few minor changes to the Act.

I will strongly oppose, and use every option at my disposal to stop, any deal to reauthorize the Patriot Act that does not protect the rights and freedoms of law-abiding Americans, including making sure that the government cannot obtain library, medical and other sensitive records about innocent Americans. Making only a few insignificant changes will not be enough.""

For more details about this principled, progressive leader, read my Profile of US Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin.
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