As American as the Middle Finger

Sen. Russ Feingold has a message for conservatives: Liberals and progressives like him can be proud to be Americans, too.

In fact, Feingold tells us that he flies Old Glory when he's back home in Wisconsin and cheers as pure Americana criticism of his progressive politics.

Case in point: After playing a round of golf one weekend last month, he was pulling his flag down when the driver of a passing car put his hand out the window. "I thought he was waving at me, his senator," says Feingold, until the driver "slowly lifted his middle finger." Call the cops? Nah.

"I thought, 'This is America!'" says Feingold. "To do that in front of the house of a U.S. senator . . . this is America." He told his story during the Monday night book party for Feingold author Sanford Horwitt that we wrote about yesterday. Here are some pictures we just received:

"Feingold" author Sanford Horwitt with a wrapped copy of his book for Sen. Russ Feingold.
(Courtesy of Maryanne Sandretti)

Yours truly interviewing Sen. Russ Feingold.
(Courtesy of Maryanne Sandretti)