Russell Feingold Bucks His Fellow Democrats

Russell Feingold. That's a name that will be remembered by Democrats -- and Republicans -- for awhile. On Wednesday the Wisconsin Democrat became the only senator to cross party lines and vote alongside Republicans to proceed with the trial of President Clinton and summon witnesses. Following the vote, Feingold said he merely wanted to give House prosecutors more time to make their case, but he cautioned that "I have not reached a decision" on the question of conviction. Most Democrats avoided criticizing Feingold and indicated they viewed his action as a vote of conscience. "It probably is wise to take Feingold's explanation at face value," says TIME Midwest correspondent Wendy Cole. "It would be a mistake to read too much into this and to interpret him as sympathetic to the Republican side."

During his two terms in the Senate, "Feingold has treaded something of an independent and individualistic path," notes Cole. He is perhaps best known as the coauthor of the McCain-Feingold campaign reform bill, the unsuccessful measure that many of his colleagues love to hate. He also attracted some attention when he decided to drop negative ads from his second Senate race. "His stances on campaign issues have tended to put him apart," says Cole. "But it is also true that he has tended to adopt views on most issues that lean to the left." How that mix will play out for him on the ultimate question of President Clinton's guilt remains to be seen -- and could provide some of the only spontaneity in this rigidly partisan exercise.