Feingold warns McCain about “hateful and dangerous” rhetoric

John McCain’s surrogates keep firing away at Barack Obama with irresponsible claims: Most recently the head of the Virginia GOP has compared the Democrat to Osama bin Laden — who, let’s recall, masterminded history’s most violent terrorist attack on American soil and remains at large — for past associations with University of Illinois at Chicago professor Bill Ayers. But if McCain’s sagging poll numbers aren’t enough to suggest that attacks aren’t working, then maybe this is: Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, oft cited by McCain in examples of how he’s “reached across the aisle,” is telling McCain to knock it off.

Feingold, a liberal Democrat who partnered with McCain on the McCain-Feingold campaign-reform act, has often been praising of McCain, and McCain has reciprocated: He told The Capitol Times’ John Nichols in 2000 that he would consider a cabinet post for McCain should he win the presidency.

Now, here’s what Feingold says:

In a closely fought campaign like the Presidential race, elements of either side can get caught up in the emotions of the contest. This is especially true during stressful economic times. I heard Senator McCain help tamp down the rhetoric at a recent town hall meeting.

Regrettably, he needs to do more of that. An energetically waged campaign can all too easily slip over into something hateful and dangerous, and everyone from the candidate on down needs to do whatever it takes to stop that. It won’t seem credible for the John McCain I know to say his campaign should be respectful, while seeming to look the other way as his campaign employs certain tactics and rhetoric which apparently are intended to appeal to the fears of some Americans.

How’s McCain handling the hate coming from his supporters? Here in Minnesota, he did urge his supporters to be respectful of Obama. But on CNN, when asked about attendees at McCain rallies who have called Obama “traitor” and “terrorist,” McCain replied — with no evidence whatsoever — “I’ve heard the same thing, unfortunately, at Sen. Obama’s rallies said about me.”