Thursday, March 16, 2006

Allard's linking of senator, terror "out of bounds"--Digby Responds to Dems

"Apology sought for Feingold remark---Washington - Activist groups, bloggers and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean on Wednesday castigated Sen. Wayne Allard for saying that another senator sides with terrorists.

In an interview first broadcast Monday, Allard told Denver radio station KOA-AM reporter Roger Hudson that Sen. Russ Fein gold, D-Wis., "has time and time again taken on the side of the terrorists that we're dealing with in this conflict."

Allard, R-Colo., made the comment when asked his thoughts on Feingold's introducing a resolution in Congress to censure President Bush because of the domestic wiretapping program by the National Security Agency.

"It is completely out of bounds to suggest that anyone demanding accountability is siding with terrorists," Dean wrote to people on the Democratic Party e-mail list.

And ProgressNowAction.org, a Colorado liberal website, called on Allard to apologize, calling his remark "despicable." Allard declined to answer other questions about the matter, saying he was late for a hearing and would talk later. He could not be reached later in the day, but his office re-released a statement it had given Tuesday to a liberal radio program. Allard did not address the statement he made about Feingold siding with terrorists.

"Senator Allard's comments were unfortunate," Feingold said in a statement Wednesday. "Supporters of the illegal domestic- spying program know they don't have a legal leg to stand on, so they are reduced to questioning the patriotism of those who point out the simple truth that the president is breaking the law."-from today's story in the Denver Post(CO).

Responding to Feingold's critics on another flank, Digby takes up some Democrats' objections to Feingold's censure motion, one by one.

Pithy Quote: "The only prominent politicians I have any respect left for now are the four horsemen of the Democratic Party -- Al Gore, Russ Feingold, Howard Dean and Jack Murtha. They must rebuild this party from the ground up."-Cenk Uygur on The Huffington Post.

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