I'm trying.

Really, I am. I'm reading as many arguments as I can find, trying to find the spark that will light a little fire of enthusiasm for Russ Feingold's censure resolution. Digby makes an impression with this...

It is past time for elected Democrats to begin laying out the case that the leader of the Republican party, the man to whom the congress has blindly followed at every turn for the past five years, is dishonorable. They must begin to create a low hum that reverberates throughout the body politic that says "the Republican party is unethical, untrustworthy, inept and dishonorable." Make people hear it in their heads before they go to sleep each night.

Russ Feingold has just taken the first step to doing this...

…except that Feingold's is hardly the first note of that low hum. The list of Democratic pols and pundits who've challenged the President's honesty and integrity, his honor, if you will, is long and growing longer. Is it the resolution that's the first step toward holding Bush accountable? Well, only if you think that it's likely to pass. Let's face it, if that were likely, Bill Frist would never let the damn thing see the light of day. Since he's apparently ready to vote, you can bet his whip count is rock solid.

Of course, Frist has an advantage that Feingold created. Frist is his party's leader, able to mobilize the entire GOP whip organization and in a position to punish or reward as required to hold his votes together. Feingold didn't even bother with the courtesy of a conversation with his leader before picking this fight.

Still, we see the seeds of real intra-Party problems for the D's with calls like this from georgia10 at Kos…

Mr. Reid, shut that Senate down and force them to consider Feingold's resolution. Up or down vote, that's what's fair, right?

Of course, what's 'fair' has little to do with it. In fact, the Democrats had to move fast to shut down Senate action to avoid a vote. Since Feingold never brought up the idea in caucus, or made that courtesy call to Harry, or distributed an advance text to his committee colleagues, or did anything to at all to lay the groundwork for anything but a legislative debacle, he's really in no position to expect the Minority Leader to "shut that Senate down." He should be grateful that his fellow Democrats rallied to spare him the indignity of a quick defeat (Frist was claiming 85 votes against the resolution). It's a temporary reprieve, though. I'm afraid Feingold made too many mistakes with his loose cannon approach to rescue his resolution now.

Marc Cooper notes the inevitable failure of the resolution and asks some of the questions that have been rattling around my mind…

It's little wonder that most other Democrats went scurrying away from Feingold's resolution. Who couldn't predict that? It's hard to believe that the Senator from Wisconsin, one of the sharpest guys around, didn't fully anticipate this, thereby raising questions about his own intent. Was his move to censure a personal moral statement? A pre-positioning as the "progressive" alternative in 2008? Perhaps. If there's a broader political strategy, what is it?

georgia10 has a suggestion...

The beauty of Feingold's move is that it also forces Democrats to go beyond mere rhetoric. I think it goes without saying though that there better damn well be 44 co-sponsers on Feingold's resolution.

Is that it? Are we going through this so that the doctrinaire left will have another litmus test for Democrats? There "damn well better be" or what? How, in this critical election year, will we punish the two or three dozen Democrats who will likely pass on Feingold's offer of grandstand seats at this show.

Of course, whatever harm it might do to his colleagues and his Party, if Feingold was hoping to generate some enthusiasm for his ambitions, he may achieve some personal goals out of this. If that was a primary motivation, though, it's hardly admirable and not particularly adept, though it's generating some ill-founded hero worship, like this from ReddHedd at firedoglake...

Russ Feingold really stuck his neck out today, and it would be great if he -- and every other Senator -- knew that we had his back. It's a gutsy move, not without risk in the polarized environment that is Washington…

Gutsy move? Well, no. There's no downside for Russ Feingold. What might happen? Some of his colleagues won't support his primary bid? Most never would, anyway. Republicans might depict him as a creature of the left wing fringe? They always have. He won't rise in the Senate leadership? He doesn't want to. He wants to be President. What's the downside for Russ Feingold?

Nope, there's really no downside for Feingold at all. All the risk is placed on others.

Even if this is the right thing, it's the wrong way. Holding Senators accountable for cleaning up the mess Russ Feingold has made would only compound the wrong.