I still want to continue the discussion of same sex marriage, but yesterday was largely given over to my father-in-law's visitation as today will be with the funeral mass and reception. Maybe later this afternoon.
But for now, here's a test. If, say, Rick Santorum, over the opposition of Bill Frist, introduced a resolution stating that it was the "sense of the Senate" that the United Nations has become counterproductive and should be disbanded would a newspaper such as the Journal-Sentinel say that he had "stepped out ahead" of his party leadership.
I say no, but that's exactly how it describes Feingold's silly censure ploy:
As he has done on such issues as the USA Patriot Act and withdrawal from Iraq, Feingold has stepped out ahead of his party leadership and staked out a position that resonates with many in the party's base.
On the one hand, the paper is saying the same thing that I said yesterday. Feingold is running for President and the only viable strategy for doing that is to become the favorite of the left (aka the Dems' "base"). But the idea that outflanking his party leadership on the left is somehow best described as going "out ahead" strikes me as an implicit (and perhaps unintentional) acknowledgement of the left's conceit that "progress" moves in one direction.
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