Thomas Mann, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, talks about the provision. The campaign finance debate is a high-stakes game for the politicians. Don Simon, outside counsel to Common Cause which supports reform, and James Bopp, general counsel for the James Madison Center for Free Speech, debate the bill. The president opposes a total ban on soft money, the large unregulated donations used for party-building activities. The power crisis in California and the new administration's ties to the oil industry set the stage for changes in the U.S. energy policy.
Oil has many friends in the administration.
National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, a former Chevron board member, even had a tanker named after her. It's a new chapter in the long and complicated history of petroleum politics in Washington. The two failed to bridge their differences and McCain is pushing to keep the topic in the spotlight. The bill threatens to pose the first major confrontation to the new Bush administration. This year may finally see the passage of Senator John McCain's campaign finance reform bill.