Feingold giving edge to Obama

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By MARK GUNDERMAN mark.gunderman@lee.net
Friday, February 22, 2008 9:09 PM CST

Democrats should not worry that “superdelegates” such as himself are going to steal the presidential nomination from Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in some kind of a backroom deal, U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said Thursday in an interview at the Chippewa Herald office in Chippewa Falls.

Though Feingold declined to endorse either Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York at this time, he said he was likely to support Obama.

“I am highly inclined to support the person who overwhelmingly carried the state,” he said. Obama defeated Clinton by 17 percent in Tuesday’s presidential primary in Wisconsin.

Feingold would not rule out a scenario in which Clinton would win the nomination. However, he said it would involve her winning Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries by sizeable margins and perhaps being behind by only a few votes in elected delegates, then making her case to the uncommitted delegates.

“I think this thing will probably play out pretty naturally over the next three weeks,” he said.

Feingold has worked closely with all three leading candidates, having co-sponsored major bills with all of them. With Obama, he worked on a major lobbying and ethics reform package.

“He has guts,” Feingold said. “On a number of occasions he was asked to back off and he stood up. He is an experienced legislator.”

Feingold warned fellow Democrats not to write off the Republicans.

“I felt for a long time. . . that (Sen. John) McCain has an excellent chance and the Republicans had no chance if they don’t nominate John McCain,” he said. “However, the ‘Obama factor’ is unprecedented.”

Feingold also reacted to recent criticism that Obama is going back on his word to accept public financing should McCain agree and Obama is the Democratic nominee. Some have interpreted recent Obama statements that he may be backing off on that statement.

“I am concerned,” said Feingold. “He made a very clear statement and what he said recently doesn’t sound like the same thing.”

Current initiatives

Feingold was visiting editorial boards around the state discussing some recent initiatives, including:

-- A health care proposal with South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham that would lead to three or four states conducting pilot projects on health care programs that would cover all citizens.

“The politics have shifted. I think most people are of the feeling that getting away from employer-based health care is the thing to do,” Feingold said.

-- An education initiative to improve on the No Child Left Behind program, which Feingold opposed because of a lack of funding and an over-emphasis on testing. The measure would reduce the number of tests, spread them out, and use other models of measuring achievement.

-- A measure to clean up the results of recent court decisions that weakened the Clean Water Act, which was originally signed by President Richard Nixon. Feingold said the recent decisions narrowed the definition of waterways in a way never intended.

-- A new effort at granting presidential line-item veto authority. A previous measure backed by Feingold was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. A new effort would allow the president to line item veto earmarks, but the measures would be sent back to Congress for votes on those specific measures, with the items ultimately approved if Congress fails to act. Feingold said the changes may allow the measure to pass court scrutiny.

Despite his support of a limited line item veto, Feingold opposes growth in executive power.

“I am horrified by the claims of executive power this president has claimed,” he said.

-- Campaign finance reform. Feingold said further action is needed, and he defended recent attacks on the famous McCain-Feingold campaign financing bill.

Feingold said that bill is working at doing exactly what it was designed to do and criticisms often focus on matters the bill did not address. The part of the bill dealing with independent expenditures struck down by the Supreme Court was an add-on, not part of the main bill, he said.

-- Feingold reiterated his opposition to the Iraq War and said he has a fundamental disagreement with McCain on the consequences of ending it.

Some say American withdrawal invites disaster, Feingold acknowledged. He maintains that the neighboring countries are highly motivated to have a stable Iraq and the last thing they want to see is violence that leads to streams of refugees across their borders.

Those countries currently cannot help stabilize Iraq because they dare not be seen lending aid to the occupation of a Muslim nation by a non-Muslim nation. He sees those countries working for a stable Iraq in America’s absence.

“It is not in our interest or in Iraq’s interest for this indefinite commitment to continue,” Feingold said.