Feingold Wants to Censure Bush

Our Senator's most recent "Hey, over here, look at me!" moment:

Wisconsin Democrat Asks Senate to Rebuke the President for NSA Wiretaps

In an exclusive interview on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold called on the Senate to publicly admonish President Bush for approving domestic wiretaps on American citizens without first seeking a legally required court order.

"This conduct is right in the strike zone of the concept of high crimes and misdemeanors," said Feingold, D-Wis., a three-term senator and potential presidential contender.

He said President Bush had, "openly and almost thumbing his nose at the American people," continued the NSA domestic wiretap program.

President Bush has long asserted that the so-called 'warrantless wiretaps' are an essential tool in the war on terror.

But in a copy of the censure resolution obtained by ABC News, Feingold asserts the president, "repeatedly misled the public prior to the public disclosure of the National Security Agency surveillance program by indicating his administration was relying on court orders to wiretap suspected terrorists inside the United States."

Feingold cites three instances over a year-long period in which Bush outlined the necessity of a court order or a judge's permission prior to a domestic wiretap of a U.S. citizen.

Would someone please tell the good senator that we are at war. His little stunt sends a wonderful message to our troops and our enemies.

Even the Washington Post editorialized Thursday:

The goal should be to modernize the compromise between national security and liberty that FISA represented in the 1970s: to legitimize essential surveillance by law, require judicial review when the targets are U.S. citizens or residents, limit the use of this material to counterintelligence purposes, and ensure that irrelevant material is not retained.

Crafting and maintaining compromise on this issue has always been bipartisan. It would be tragic and dangerous if it became a political football now -- either as a campaign issue for President Bush or a club with which Democrats can pound him. Consensus should be possible if the administration is willing to engage seriously with a Congress interested in rigorous oversight.

The fact is, his proposed censure resolution will go nowhere. But it got goo goo Feingold on This Week with Clinton's Former Strategist, and plays up to the lefty blogosphere.

Update: Folkbum appears to applaud Feingold's bravado.
The Political Pit Bull calls it a stunt and Peter calls Feingold Mr. Irrelevant. However, the lib blogos are all a gaga.
Shakespeare's Sister is a Feingold fan.
Democracy for New Mexico calls him courageous and patriotic.
Karmajunkie says Russ is right, but disingenuous.
Dan Buell has a new hero.
And of course the lords of Kos love him.

The left is 'so excited' about this.

So, to summarize. This resolution, which will go nowhere. Hurts the troops, emboldens our enemies and should help Feingold raise a lot of money online in the next month.