Bush has long opposed the McCain-Feingold bill, but he has sought to avoid being blamed if campaign reform legislation fails this year. By issuing the statement of principles, Bush is attempting to influence the debate in Congress while avoiding any veto threats that might cast him at this stage of the debate as an opponent of reform. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush believes the prospects for passage of reform legislation have brightened after a decade of legislative gridlock. The president is determined to take advantage of that and to get it signed into law. The McCain-Feingold bill would, among other things, ban soft money contributions from unions, corporations and individuals.
Soft money refers to the large, federally unregulated contributions made to political parties.
The AFL-CIO has announced its opposition to the bill, claiming that it would inhibit labor's political activities. There are many amendments from other senators ready for consideration in the Senate, where a floor debate on the subject will begin on Monday. Fleischer said yesterday that Bush is not endorsing the Hagel bill. McCain and Feingold praised Bush yesterday for calling for a partial ban on soft money, which they said goes further than the Hagel bill. McCain interpreted Bush's statement as meaning that the president is open to negotiation and compromise.