Feingold won't run for president

With Democrats back in control of Congress, Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold announced Saturday he would not run for president but would stay and advance "a progressive agenda" with a new Senate majority.

"I'm sure a campaign for President would have been a great adventure and helpful in advancing a progressive agenda," Feingold said in a letter to supporters. "At this time, however, I believe I can best advance that progressive agenda as a Senator with significant seniority in the new Senate serving on the Foreign Relations, Intelligence, Judiciary and Budget Committees. Although I have given it a lot of thought, I cannot muster the same enthusiasm for a race for President while I am trying simultaneously to advance our agenda in the Senate."

Feingold, who opposed the war and tried to censure President Bush for his warrantless wiretapping program, was a progressive bloggers' favorite. His announcement comes on the heels of former Virginia Sen. Mark Warner's announcing he wouldn't run for president in October. In a Sunday post Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos said simply: "I'm still not ready to start talking 2008 with still so much to digest about 2006. But if there's ever been a reason to hold back on picking a guy, Warner and Feingold have proven it."

-- Joan Walsh