Jesse Jackson joins Russ Feingold's efforts to embolden Democrats

Jesse Jackson today in the Chicago Sun-Times:

It's not the heat, it's the timidity

Americans are calling for a new direction in large numbers. They are looking for bold leadership -- and bold new policies to deal with the challenges we face. Support for President Bush is near its lowest levels. Support for the Republican Congress is declining below even the Republican base level. Yet there is no lift in this for Democrats -- and that's no surprise. Faced with the epic catastrophe wrought by this administration and this Congress' policies, Democrats have yet to lay out any compelling alternative.
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None of this is news. But Democrats have, as of yet, been too timid or too divided to do much about it. With America in desperate need of bold leadership and a new direction, their slogan for the 2006 election is, hilariously, "We can do better." Even after conservative Rep. Jack Murtha, the Pentagon's favorite ex-Marine, spoke up, they dance around raindrops on Iraq. They seem unable to offer a coherent alternative to the president's ruinous tax-cut policies. They say nothing collectively about the hole that we're in from the catastrophic trade polices. Even on Katrina, they have failed to provide a clear alternative.
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But a lot of this is simple cowardice -- the belief that Bush and the Republican Congress have fallen so low and failed so completely, that Democrats can inherit power without ever committing to anything. That is bad politics and bad policy. Democrats who want to run for president are about to learn from core supporters that dancing between raindrops on issues of vital national importance won't get them there.

Russ Feingold to a Fox News reporter (via Think Progress):

Feingold Accuses Senate Democrats of “Cowering” To Bush

I’m amazed at Democrats, cowering with this president’s numbers so low. The administration just has to raise the specter of the war and the Democrats run and hide. … Too many Democrats are going to do the same thing they did in 2000 and 2004. In the face of this, they’ll say we’d better just focus on domestic issues. … [Democrats shouldn’t] cower to the argument, that whatever you do, if you question the administration, you’re helping the terrorists.

I encourage people to Co-Sponsor Feingold's Resolution to Censure the President.

Unfortunately, anything written to Missouri's Senators, Christopher Bond and Jim Talent, would simply be turned over to the FBI to add to their anti-war and Bush enemies list.