I was a guest of my friend who was being honored as part of a fundraiser for her Jewish congregation: Kolot Chayneinu/Voices of Our Lives. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the 13th year of this amazing community of progressive and enlightened individuals and their families.

Senator Feingold was the final of the four individuals being honored for their social justice activism and of course for their Jewish heritage. Early on extending the invitation, my friend was not certain whether or not his schedule would allow him to appear in person or if he would send a personal representative. As it turned out tonight, he was there from the get-go and stayed around to greet and meet his admirers.

It was a nice touch that Liz Holtsman provided his introduction. (For those that don’t know, she helped make the case against Nixon that no man or President is above the law.) Anyway, I was aware of his record for election finance reform and the preservation of our civil rights. (Let’s not forget that he was the ONLY Senator to vote against the original Patriot Act.) I was not prepared for his loyalty, humility and good humor. He was there because a member of this community helped him in his very first State Senatorial election. (I really was impressed that he made the time to be there.) His remarks were not self centered, self-congratulatory, nor self-deprecating. As for his good humor, he referred to a quote from a memorable Rabbi that The Ten Commandments were not The Ten Suggestions and that also applied to our Bill of Rights. This was an easy segue to * broke the law when he initiated wiretaps on US citizens without FISA warrants. And it really is that plain and simple.

Finally, he is not charismatically challenged in any way. Even some lesbians were glibly admitting to sexual fantasies with the man. When I was asked how I would grade his remarks, I said, “Presidential.” And he is. Or at least he’s a leader that represents our Constitution and our humanity. Sure, he has political skills that he’s sharpened over time, but I believe in his vision of America. I wish that I was able to recant that JFK had the same obstacles to overcome because he was a Catholic, but it did not occur to me until now.

For the record, I don’t care what Faith a candidate brings or swears to the office of POTUS as long as they are truly sworn to uphold The Constitution. I’m also reminded of swearing on The Bible to uphold The Constitution vs. swearing on The Constitution to uphold The Bible. I put my trust on The Constitution and my Faith is personal. It’s between me and my God (if I choose to have one) and a democratically elected government that upholds that covenant.

Once again in my lifetime, I know what it is like to be governed by a POTUS that does not regard, respect or even know what our Bill of Rights mean. (To be fair, maybe they know the meaning, but they still trample on the execution and preservation of those rights.) Senator Feingold does know their meaning and respects the protections put in place to uphold our collective and individual liberty. He would be a great POTUS for ALL of US.