Do you think that Feingold was correct not to run for president?

[WI_DEM]

He is one of the great progressives in the senate, but I agree his run for the nomination would be a long shot--but then other long shots have succeeded--Jimmy Carter for instance.

Do you think he made the correct decision? Are you happy he is going to concentrate on his senate work, now that the Dems are in the majority?

What candidate who is contemplating an '08 run benefits from Feingold's decision not to run?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. I just hope he stops taking pot-shots at our own party.

Now that he's definitely not running for office, maybe he would be kind enough to stop putting others down to make himself look better.

[WI_DEM]

3. Who has he been putting down?

I don't think I've been paying enough attention to his campaign with all the other campaigns in '06.

[Goblinmonger]

4. I hope he doesn't.

One of the things I love best about Russ is his never-ending ability and desire to call bullshit whenever he sees it. I think that is why people like him so much. If all of his bullshit calls were only at the Repugs, then he would look like some partisan asshole. The fact that he recognizes bullshit when it is from the Dems, too, gives him a lot of credibility.

Plus, out Dem leadership has been anything but fantastic in the past, lest we forget the lemmings that voted for the Patriot Act first go around (and the second). In fact, I think only one person voted against it. Who was that again?

[lcordero2]

19. I hope that he keeps up the outstanding work

It's nice to have at least one person that keeps all of the empty suits on this side of the aisle on a tight leash.

[dogday]

20. Who has he put down?

There is a difference between telling the truth, and putting someone down in order to enhance one's own abilities and Russ Feingold is not that type of Politician. He believes in the constitution and has been fighting for it for a long time....

[terrya]

2. *sigh*. He probably made the right decision.

This is a bummer. Senator Feingold was my personal choice for the nomination. He's a good man, a good progressive Democrat. He is very anti-war, very concerned about civil liberties and is supportive of same-sex marriage. But...and I hate to say it...I'm not sure he's electable.

Maybe Kerry would benefit.

[Dr.Phool]

7. My first choice too.

Now I've gotta draft Al Gore.

[NJ Democrats]

15. I have too agree with you

except for the last sentance. I don't think kerry has a shot. Now, I'm hopeing for Gore to run. I think that Gore and Edwards were helped the most by Feijngold's descison. I hope however, Feingold would agree to be one of those two (or Clark's) VP. Otherwise, hopefully he'll run in a few yeatrs as he is only 53 now.

[ginnyinWI]

5. He could go down in history as a great Senator, and that's good.

[bdamomma]

6. All in good time, let him be a good Senator first

As much as we would like him to run, you can't force these guys.

[WI_DEM]

10. Well he has been a good senator for three terms

but I agree we can't force him to run, but I don't see him running in the future. I think he realizes too many things he is up against.

[sui generis]

8. He made the right decision for himself.

I think he knew how much of himself he wanted to spend on a run like that and how much it would cost of himself.

However as a populist candidate he stood a good chance of reaching a lot of "middle" of the road candidates with a "common sense" message. He believes in the ideas he supports. He believes in equal marriage and therefore speaks with conviction and brooks no nonsense on the topic.

That quality is extraordinarily valuable and remarkably absent in our other candidates. Get to the point. What is the core of the issue. How do we get to B from A and to C from B. No smoke and mirrors.

Just the same, he would also make an excellent advisor on those topics in which he holds populist appeal and in which some of our other candidates have yet to even find a vocabulary to discuss.

[napi21]

9. Running for Prez is such a grueling ordeal, I wonder why the hell

anyone wants to! I respect Russfor recognizing he just didn't want it bad enough NOW and not generate a lot of supporters, only to have those hopes dashed during the campaign.

I don't fault him at all! As I said, I think you have to be a bit nuts to want to run for Prez at all!

[Snotcicles]

11. It sure makes him an attractive choice for second banana. Right Al? n/t

[porphyrian]

12. I don't know enough about his reasons to say. - n/t

[Clark2008]

13. Yes, but it's unfortunate.

I don't think he could win a national election because there are too many prejudiced people in this country.

:(

[Brazenly Liberal]

14. I voted yes even though it's a damn shame.

Running for president is a grueling, grinding, mind-numbing job. We can't ask anyone to take on the inevitable swiftboating, sleepless nights, weeks at a time living out of a suitcase, forgetting what your family looks like and all the other insanity that goes with it unless s/he feels confident it's going to accomplish something.

It's a rough row to hoe for any Senator. We tend to frequently send governors to the White House, rarely Senators. That's why Jimmy Carter wasn't as much a long shot as Russ is.

Russ Feingold is obviously motivated more by realism than by ego. One more reason he'd make a great President. I wonder if we could get him to run for governor and then........

[elocs]

16. Feingold is a great senator and I am proud to have him as my senator,

but I think he would have trouble getting elected as president. He is independent and honest and has the courage of his convictions. He will have no problem getting reelected in Wisconsin for as long as he wants to remain in the Senate and he will become a great senator and there he will serve not only Wisconsin, but the entire nation.

[pnwmom]

17. Absolutely. If he doesn't have the fire in his belly,

he's not the candidate we need.

[jsamuel]

18. He was my first choice at this point, but he made the right decision.

[bluedogyellowdog]

21. Sad that he's out of the running

and same with Mark Warner. Those were two of the most potentially exciting 08 candidates.

Mike Gravel is looking more attractive, but he's definitely a longshot because of his age and being out of politics for 25 years. I like Edwards and Clark, a lot. Barrack Obama is looking like an attractive candidate too. I haven't settled on any one candidate and don't have a strong opinion other than I would prefer the nominee not be Hillary or Biden.

[blm]

22. Can you blame ANY of them for that decision? Since 1996, every Dem who

sticks their neck out WILL have it kicked repeatedly.

I don't begrudge ANYONE taking the shot at running - it helps round out the debate, and can only be helpful. But, it does take someone who can keep on going after they spend all their ammunition - you have to outlast them. Who wants to go through that AND have your personal life lied about at the same time?

[tnlefty]

23. Sadly, yes, and I love Russ! If that danged Stephanie Miller had just been

a little more persuasive in her attempts to get him to marry her. I know that she tried....

I don't think that Americans are willing to put a single man (forget the divorces) in the White House.