I just received a copy of Russ Feingold’s letter to the editor complaining about an item in a recent column :

Dear Editor, I was disappointed to see that in his October 11 column, Jonah Goldberg once again misrepresented remarks I made back in 2003. In remarks in the Congressional Record, I cited the concerns of one of my constituents about the PATRIOT Act. While Mr. Goldberg quotes what I said, he fails to note that, as I made clear at the time, I was quoting someone else who was speculating about what might happen. ABC News’ This Week issued an on‑air correction after this same mischaracterization was made by a panelist on that program in 2003. National Review has repeatedly mischaracterized this quotation, and has never corrected the record or printed my previous letter to the editor. I write again to ask that National Review finally set the record straight by publishing this letter. In addition, I want to note that Goldberg repeats a common misperception that the Patriot Act merely gives the government powers to investigate terrorists that it already had to investigate mobsters or drug kingpins. This is incorrect. For one thing, terrorism was a crime before the Patriot Act was enacted and the same tools were available to investigate terrorist crimes as were available to investigate any other crimes. For another, the Patriot Act significantly expanded the government’s power to obtain business records and eavesdrop on conversations in terrorism investigations without the protections for law-abiding citizens that are in place in other investigations. Russ Feingold United States Senator

Me: We can debate the Patriot Act in a moment. As for Senator Feingold’s quote, I relied on several news sources for it and I never saw a correction. I regret the lack of clarity on my part. I also regret that I did not make it clear that Senator Feingold was speaking predictively and conditionally about what the Patriot Act might do. My apologies. I am also personally unaware of any previous letter, but I take the Senator at his word that it was sent and was not acted upon by us.

But, just to keep the argument going, I do note that even in this letter, Senator Feingold does not, in fact, say he disagrees with his constituent. Indeed, here is the correction ABC News offered:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Before we go, we need to correct the record from last week’s show. When discussing the PATRIOT Act last week, George Will incorrectly quoted Senator Russ Feingold saying that Americans should sell their stock in amazon.com because Americans are afraid to read. Senator Feingold actually quoted a bookseller who fears the PATRIOT Act could force people to stop buying books and they could be terrified into silence. Feingold then asked, “Afraid to read books, terrified into silence, is that the America we want?”

Me again: I do not mean to be a hair-splitter here, but it certainly sounds to me like he is joining his constiuent in suggesting that the Patriot Act could and would have just such a result if implemented. My position is, and remains, that it is because figures like Senator Feingold have played on peoples’ fears that some Americans could be so paranoid about what the Patriot Act does and does not do that they think such an outcome is possible. So far, America remains unafraid to read books.