Open Letter To Russ Feingold

Dear Senator Feingold,

I am disappointed (but not surprised) by your vote against Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, based on his refusal to make a 'ruling' on waterboarding when he has yet to review the classified material on the practice.

The American people understand full well that Congress has the ability to make waterboarding illegal, if you felt strongly enough about it to risk the political fallout.

It is highly imprudent during times of war to tip our hand to the enemy about what specific techniques we are willing to use in order to gather valuable intelligence.

I have yet to see one constructive recommendation from you on how to protect your constituents from terrorists who are determined to eliminate us. You seem more concerned about their civil rights and material comfort than our lives.

Perhaps instead of wasting your time on fruitless censure resolutions, you could research what has historically worked against fascism and terrorism (not appeasement and retreat -- see WWII and Vietnam). That would equip you to work positively with the current administration to protect the American people.

While I am obviously not a fan of the anti-war far-left fringe of the Democratic Party to which you pander, I have a strong belief in the two-party system. In order for this system to work, both parties must come to the table with a realistic view of the situation at hand and work together for the best solution(s) possible.

Merely obstructing and taking the opposite stand on anything the administration does is a waste of time and energy and is NOT what the people of Wisconsin are paying you for.