In 1986 the Colorado Republican Party ran ads criticizing a Democratic congressman who was considering running for the Senate. It did this before the Republican Senate candidate had been chosen. In response, the district court and the 10th Circuit have both said they are not. Last Wednesday the FEC asked the Supreme Court to say they are. The FEC is a bureaucracy.
Bureaucracies have a metabolic urge to maximize their missions.
The FEC's mission is to regulate political discourse. Bush understands the conflict between his duty and the FEC's urge. Both forms of speech are central to the First Amendment. This puts Bush on a collision course with much of the political class and most of the media. Bush has served himself and the country well by his congeniality efforts, but he will serve neither by continuing them until it costs him respect.