6.22.2006

Maverick.

Sen. Russ Feingold again makes us Wisconsinites proud, this time in a GQ interview aptly titled, "The Real Maverick":
Would you like to see him impeached?

I have to think about whether that’s good for the country. He’s probably committed an impeachable offense. But the Constitution does not require, just because somebody has committed an impeachable offense, that you actually impeach him. That’s why censure is a good way to have accountability but not actually remove the president from office. You know, I was the only Democratic senator to vote to hear the evidence they wanted to dismiss against Clinton. I thought it was our role to do it. I wrote an opinion—all of us had to write an opinion—and in the last couple of paragraphs, I said, “Look, I majored in history, and I knew that the only impeachment had been Andrew Johnson.” And I said, “I’ve only been conscious of this stuff for twenty-five to thirty years—and I’ve already seen two: Nixon and Clinton. I really worry that people are gonna start seeing impeachment as a regular way to do business.” Problem is, George Bush has committed a more clearly impeachable offense than Clinton or even Nixon ever did.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can see Feingold's point about impeachment. But there are many ways to hold a president accountable.

On the other hand, I wish there were more talk of impeaching Cheney. After Frontline's "The Dark Side," I think the chances of impeaching Cheney went up a notch or two. But, of course, I'm not holding my breath.

But clearly this nation has a problem.

Paisid said...

Feingold for President!

Anonymous said...

I don't see how that passage by Feingold is all that special. I think if he were a bit more eloquent, more people would be listening to him with concern.

I personally don't care if/when/how he discovered Andrew Johnson had been impeached... Instead of just telling us that we should be doing it - give us reasons why we should be doing it. You know, make a case.

Paul Schmelzer said...

Well, ok. I found the entire interview--except for the silly golf questions--engaging. I've watched Feingold his whole career, from when he started out as a state senator in WI to today, and he's remained true to his principles and, I think, both eloquent and credible. Seriously, if you dig in and learn more about him, instead of just the excerpt I provided, I think you'll find him a principled guy with integrity.