010206.txt Feingold's votes on Ashcroft could haunt him in 2004 By Melanie Fonder For The News-Chronicle WASHINGTON - Within minutes of his vote for John Ashcroft last week, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., had landed the top spot on several high-profile liberal organizations' target lists, and not in a good way. Feingold, whose name has been bandied around Washington as a possible 2004 presidential nominee, may have been serious when he said he was not interested in running for president. The liberal senator may have surprised some people inside the Beltway, but his position as the only Democrat to vote conservative attorney general nominee Ashcroft out of committee wasn't all that unusual for the not-so-predictable senator. Throughout his political career, Feingold has taken stances that depart from the Democratic party line. In 1999, he was the only Democrat to vote against a motion to dismiss the impeachment charges against President Clinton. He later voted against removal of Clinton. Among those criticizing Feingold shortly after the Ashcroft vote were the National Organization for Women (NOW) and Planned Parenthood, two organizations that were strong backers of Feingold in 1998 when he barely eked out a win against a strong pro-life opponent, former Rep. Mark Neumann, R-Janesville. Other liberal groups who strongly aided Feingold in that race - Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and the AFL-CIO - were all among the 200 groups that formed a coalition opposing Ashcroft. Feingold's highest vote totals in 1998 came from Dane County, where much of the political activity from those organizations are based in the state. Many of those organizations have given Feingold perfect ratings on their scorecards in the past, but his pro-Aschroft vote reduced his chances of remaining in their good graces. On Sunday, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) took out a full-page advertisement in the Madison Capital Times attacking Feingold, who also was one of eight Democratic senators who voted for Ashcroft when the attorney general was confirmed. Feingold's chances in 2004, whether he runs for a third term or a higher office, may hinge on how heavily his progressive base weighs the pro-Ashcroft vote. While conservatives were happy to have Feingold on board, they were also highly skeptical of the reasons behind his pro-Ashcroft vote. As one of the leads on campaign finance reform, conservatives said, Feingold was trying to ensure more support from Republicans on that issue. PLAY FOR ALVAREZ MIFFSTHOMPSON Tommy G. Thompson resigned as governor of Wisconsin shortly before noon Thursday and was sworn in as President George W. Bush's secretary of health and human services. His predecessor, Donna Shalala, was strongly on Thompson's mind. As he began his new duties by speaking to colleagues at the National Institutes of Health, Thompson said he awoke that morning to state news reports that the University of Miami was trying to lure University of Wisconsin-Madison football coach Barry Alvarez away. In 11 seasons, Alvarez has led the Badgers to three Rose Bowl wins. Shalala, the former Wisconsin chancellor, became Miami's chancellor last month when she left the job that Thompson now holds. Thompson first complemented Shalala for holding the HHS post longer than any secretary (eight years), a feat he said he hopes to equal. "I am, however, a little irritated this morning," Thompson said. "She's trying to recruit my football coach, Barry Alvarez." Thompson had previously joked to Shalala not to even try for Alvarez when she introduced Thompson at his Senate confirmation hearings last month. The former governor didn't have to fret long - by Friday Alvarez turned down the offer and announced he would stay in Wisconsin to finish his career. Melanie Fonder, a former News-Chronicle reporter, is a staff writer for the Hill, a weekly newspaper that covers Capitol Hill. Her column appears here Mondays. Write to her at melfonder@yahoo.com.