Feingold has frequently stood alone in the Senate, particularly on Constitutional matters. His dissents have not always made him popular, with fellow senators or with the "rush-to-judgement" crowd that defines so much of America's political discourse.

Earlier this month, as he opened a hearing by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism & Property Rights on "Protecting Constitutional Freedoms in the Face of Terrorism," Feingold explained his position in a statement that will, eventually, be read as this time's wisest caution. Before diminishing individual liberties, Feingold warned his fellow senators: "We must make sure that as we learn the facts, we do not allow these attacks to succeed in tempting us in any way to diminish what makes us a great nation. And what makes us a great nation is that this is a country that understands that people have God-given rights and liberties. And we cannot--in our efforts to bring justice--diminish those liberties.