A move to censure Bush stirs debate

WASHINGTON -- Only two Democrats in the Senate have embraced Senator Russ Feingold's call for censuring President Bush, but the idea is increasing his standing among many Democratic voters as he ponders a bid for the party's presidential nomination in 2008.

Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, insists his proposal has nothing to do with his political ambitions. But he does challenge Democrats who argue it will help energize Republicans.

''Those Democrats said that within two minutes of my announcing my idea," Feingold said last week. ''I don't see any serious evidence of that."

A Newsweek poll taken March 16 and 17 found that 50 percent of those surveyed opposed censuring Bush while 42 percent supported it, but among Democrats, 60 percent favored the effort.

Feingold's resolution would censure the president for authorizing a warrantless surveillance program, which the senator contends is illegal. Cosponsors are Democratic senators Tom Harkin of Iowa and Barbara Boxer of California.

The Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing Friday on the resolution.

Other Democrats have said that bringing up such a punishment is not helpful before an investigation of the eavesdropping program is complete.

''I think to say that you should censure the president before you have had the inquiries is premature, so I don't think it's helpful to reach that conclusion at this point," Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, told ''Fox News Sunday."

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, also said that it is too early to consider censure. He would not, however, rule out voting for such a measure if the Bush administration stonewalls a congressional probe.

''It's a close case," Kennedy said on CBS's ''Face the Nation."

The White House says Bush was authorized to order eavesdropping on American citizens under his wartime powers as commander in chief.

Feingold said his sole purpose was to hold Bush accountable, but he contended that it's also good politics.

''These Democratic pundits are all scared of the Republican base getting energized, but they're willing to pay the price of not energizing the Democratic base," he said. ''It's an overly defensive and meek approach to politics."

Some Republicans have been thanking Feingold for what they consider a political fumble. ''This is such a gift," Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show.