The immediate consequence of Feingold’s gambit was not Republican dismay but, yes, Democratic disarray—or, at least, every appearance of it. In the Washington Post, Dana Milbank described a stampede through the marble halls as Democratic senators fled from taking a position. “I haven’t read it” (Obama). “I really can’t right now” (John Kerry). “I’m not going to comment” (Charles Schumer). “Ask her after lunch” (Hillary Clinton’s spokesman). Meanwhile, the left-populist blogosphere—a reliable barometer of the Democratic equivalent of the famous Republican “base”—erupted with praise for Feingold and contempt for his cautious Party colleagues. The adjectives used to limn the latter were pungent: “Spineless.” “Sluggish.” “Weak.”