So maybe I do have some cheesehead in me

Okay, I'll admit it out front: I lived in Wisconsin for 11 years. Be that as it may, I would love Russ Feingold regardless. Initially I loved him like 60s teens loved the Beatles. I'm a little less fervent about it now. That Ashcroft vote knocked him right off the pedestal. And of course, as I was reminded today, he voted for Rice. How will he defend himself to the progressives, I was asked. And that is the question that inspired me to post again about Russ.

His voting record is really amazing. Yes, he capitulates at times. God knows, he tried to do some deal making for campaign finance reform. But in the main, he makes Kerry look like a brownshirt. Kerry earned the by-now-infamous label "the most liberal man in the Senate" because he scored 100% on the ACLU's scorecard. Well that's because he was only present for 1 of the 9 votes they counted. Feingold has an 89% and he was there for all 9. He was the only Senator (THE ONLY ONE) to vote against the PATRIOT Act. He also imposed voluntary campaign finance reforms on himself during his second run for Senate (his opponent did not). He's one of the "poorest" Senators (it's all relative). And his first bid for Senate featured an endorsement by Elvis.