Potential 2004 presidential candidate Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., yesterday discussed civil liberties issues in wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Feingold, who addressed a crowd of about 250 people at the Law School, expressed his support for U.S. military action in Afghanistan, but said a foreign war on terrorism does not justify unmitigated restrictions on domestic liberties.
"We will lose that fight without firing a shot if we sacrifice our liberties," he said.
Feingold was the only senator to vote against a bill, known as the U.S.A. Patriot Act, that expanded domestic law enforcement powers.
"There is no doubt that if we lived in a police state it would be easier to catch terrorists," Feingold said. But "that would not be America."
The U.S.A. Patriot Act, which became law last year in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th, gave law enforcement officials excessive and unnecessary power to conduct secret searches, obtain business and personal records and monitor computer activities, Feingold said.
He said the government often exceeds its authority in times of crisis, citing the mistreatment of Japanese-Americans, German-Americans and Italian-Americans during World War II.
In an introductory address, Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato, who attended Oxford with Feingold as a Rhodes scholar, lauded his political courage for opposing the bill.
"Imagine how tough it is to stand up against all your colleagues in both parties," Sabato said.
Feingold is best known as a leading proponent of campaign finance reform. His namesake proposal, the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform bill, was signed into law by President Bush last month.
Feingold said he thought the new law would survive legal challenges, and portrayed the bill as a first step in removing the influence of money in the political process.
"The best thing for the country would be if campaigns were publicly financed," he said.
Feingold addressed a variety of other issues during his speech and during the question-and-answer session that followed.
He said he supports the establishment of a Palestinian state, greater funding to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa and lowering the drinking age to 18. In his speech and in response to audience questions Feingold also said he opposes the death penalty, oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve and legalization of drugs.
Sabato said Feingold, who has served in the Senate since 1992, is a potential presidential candidate in 2004 or sometime in the future.
After Feingold's speech, Sabato said he had asked Feingold if he was running for president. According to Sabato, Feingold said he would do it if Sabato endorsed him.
Feingold spoke as part of the National Symposium on Wartime Politics, which the University's Center for Governmental Studies sponsored. The Law Student Legal Forum also sponsored his appearance.
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