Who is this guy........

....and what did he do with the REAL Russ Feingold. I'm seriously impressed with Feingold - for the first time in my life:

Feingold defends Israel's attack response Platteville - U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold today defended Israel's right to protect itself amid the escalating conflict along its borders, saying, "I don't think any country is going to let their soldiers be kidnapped, transported, killed ... without a serious response." Feingold said he would not second-guess "whether that response was exactly as it should be." Said Feingold: "My hope would be that Israel would use as much restraint as possible .... It's in Israel's interest and the interests of peace. But I do think Israel has not only a right but also a responsibility to respond to the Hezbollah attack." The Wisconsin Democrat, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke with reporters about the issue as he set off on a political swing through Iowa. Feingold is a potential presidential candidate in 2008. The subject was raised at listening sessions Feingold held today in Platteville and in Dubuque, the first in his capacity as a senator and the second, a political event. When a constituent at the Wisconsin session criticized both the Palestinians and the Israeli government for taking a "dysfunctional" approach to the conflict and said the U.S. needed to "lean on Israel" to change its behavior, Feingold offered a different view. "There's blame to go around for everybody," he said, but he argued that Israel had been acting constructively in recent years and blamed Hezbollah, Iran and Syria for provoking the current crisis. "They are facing a two-front war now, and it's a tiny country," Feingold said of Israel. Feingold posted a statement on his Web site Friday saying, "I stand firmly with the people of Israel and their government as they defend themselves against these outrageous attacks."