Feingold to Director of Intel McConnell: "you should issue an immediate correction and an apology"

[sabra]

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/dni_mcconnell_insults_feingold.html

Sen. Russ Feingold Tuesday called out Mike McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence.

Feingold (D-Wis.) sent McConnell a sharply-worded letter concerning McConnell's speech at Furman University on Saturday. McConnell spoke about the legislative battle over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and here's what he said that rankled Feingold:

We had a bill go into the Senate. It was debated vigorously. There were some who said we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community. Some have that point of view. Some say the President of the United States violated the process, spied on Americans, should be impeached and should go to jail. I mean, this is democracy, you can say anything you want to say. That was the argument made. The vote was 68 to 29.

And indeed, the Senate FISA bill passed with wide bipartisan support. (The House passed a different bill, and currently leaders of both chambers are trying to figure out how to move forward in a way that can garner some Republican votes and avoid a White House veto.)

But Feingold objected to McConnell's characterization of the floor debate (i.e., some Democrats are Communists.) and wrote him the following:

As you correctly noted, the bill was the subject of vigorous debate. Many members of the Senate expressed serious concerns about the lack of checks and balances included in the legislation and the potential impact of the new authorities on the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Many Senators were also concerned that retroactive immunity for companies alleged to have cooperated with the President's warrantless wiretapping program would undermine the rule of law.

However, I am not aware of any Senator saying or suggesting that "we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community" or that President Bush "should be impeached and should go to jail." I would therefore appreciate your providing a list of all statements made by Senators during the debate that you believe support these assertions. If there are no such examples, you should issue an immediate correction and an apology.

While all sides of this debate deserve to be heard, to falsely attribute statements to United States Senators serves only to mislead the American people. It also undermines your credibility and that of the position of Director of National Intelligence.

[simmonsj811]

1. K&R

:kick:

[madwivoter]

2. I heart Russ Feingold :)

:applause:

[burythehatchet]

3. If he didn't live so close to IL, he would be a great VP selection

[frazzled]

4. Damn straight--McConnell's words were incendiary, and reeked of hysterical excess

We really should push him to come forward with the statements he interpreted that way--they're in the Congressional Record, after all. Put up, or apologize. Better yet: retract and denounce (and reject).

[Peace Patriot]

5. Oh, great! Feingold one-up's McConnell for accusing Democrats of saying the things

that SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAID...and weren't!

No more secret government! No more spies! What do we need spies for, if our government is acting in the interests of the American people, at home and abroad, and is pursuing policies that promote democracy, social justice, fairness and peace in the world?

Our secret government has done us and others enough harm! End it! Open all the dirty files of our dirty government's dirty, filthy, rotten, criminal actions around the world. And we can all begin to live in the light of truth.

As for the Democratic Senators' not calling for Bush/Cheney's impeachment...how dare McConnell say that they did?! How dare he?! Didn't they have a deal? We don't impeach your criminal asses, you won't release your NSA dossiers on our complicit, corrupt Democratic warmongers and corporatists? And so, we keep up our end of the deal--we don't impeach you fuckheads--and then...and THEN...you accuse us of it anyway! It's enough to make a Senator sputter!

Sorry, Senator Feingold, but I'm getting a little tired of these strange letters going back and forth.

[warren pease]

10. Exactly! Well said...

I almost never do the "right on, man, great post" thing because it's a waste of time, bandwidth and disk space. In this case, however, I couldn't possibly have said it better.

Thanks for a great post.


wp

[JBoy]

6. F'n A, Russ!

The Bush regime needs to be called out any time they try to push their bullshit propaganda.

Is any of the MSM reporting on this? It's a shame that the only way this stuff hits the media is if there is some kind of stunt associated with it. Like if Feingold were to say it while dressed in a clown outfit.

[Stuart G]

7. K & R

[rudy23]

8. Let's be careful though not to let them work the refs, and get us to swear we won't impeach.

Let's not fall into the trap of saying, "So you think we're just out to impeach and imprison the president? We'll show you! We won't even lay a glove on him."

They're very good at working the refs, and moving the center of the argument towards the right.

[JackRiddler]

9. Ahem.

However, I am not aware of any Senator saying or suggesting that "we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community" or that President Bush "should be impeached and should go to jail.

I'm sure that's true, and so his point that McConnell owes an apology stands.

And it's a real shame, because we could use such Senators, to cherish and applaud. For accuracy's sake, substitute "intelligence community" with "extraconstitutional apparatus for covert policy and illegal operations."

The last phrase of the sentence stands on its own marvelously.

[pleah]

11. Ooooo! I bet McConnell is shaking in his shoes

over a (sharply-worded letter). Yawn.

[Supersedeas]

12. McConnell was throwing partisan raw meat to the base--facts don't matter to these people