Missing the point on fund raising

Mr. McCain consistently misrepresents not only his position, but current law.

WASHINGTON -- Ten days ago, George W. Bush's presidential campaign went to earth in Austin to lick its wounds, many of them self-inflicted. Then the candidate, his dog fed and himself refreshed, came out swinging and landed a molar-rattling uppercut on his own jaw.

John McCain stresses his character, and his passion for campaign finance reform is supposed to serve as a token of good character. Mr. McCain wants to reform campaigns by expanding government control of political speech, imposing additional regulations on citizens contributions and candidates and independent groups expenditures. So last week, Mr. Bush charged that Mr. McCain's behavior in financing his own campaign is hypocritical. Mr. Bush said: Hes raised more money than anybody in the campaign from lobbyists and insiders. I guess thats what happens in Washington, where you say one thing and do another.

In 1967-1968, when Michigan's Gov. George Romney was seeking the Republican presidential nomination, reporters joked that they installed on their typewriters special keys so that with a single stroke they could type the phrase Romney later explained ... A Bush aide later explained that although Mr. Bush has raised more money than Mr. McCain has from lobbyists, Mr. McCain has raised more as a percentage of the total amount of money he [Mr. McCain] has raised. Another day in the Bush campaign, another day wasted.

The $70 million Bush campaign should dip into petty cash and hire a fact checker. Furthermore, it should arrange tutorials for Mr. Bush concerning campaign financing, which is really about freedom of political speech.

Mr. Bush's current objection to Mr. McCain's campaign finance position -- that Mr. McCain is a hypocrite for playing under existing rules while advocating new rules -- is too puerile to merit confuting. But last week, Mr. Bush at least took note of McCain2000.com, Mr. McCain's Web page, which asserted: John McCain has always consistently opposed public funding of campaigns and has never proposed such a plan. Not exactly.

In 1990 and 1991, he voted with just four other Republicans (and with 54 Democrats in 1990 and 51 Democrats in 1991) for public funding in the form of communications vouchers equal to 20 percent of the proposed general election spending limit, and for tax dollars for candidates to counter independent expenditures. In 1992, Mr. McCain and two other Republicans voted with 55 Democrats for a similar bill, and with 54 Democrats in an unsuccessful attempt to override President Bush's veto of that legislation. In 1993, Mr. McCain voted for taxpayer payments to candidates to counter independent expenditures or to counter spending by opponents who would choose to exercise their First Amendment rights and not comply with the voluntary spending limits.