Stevens Balks at Reform (BUSH WILL SIGN CFR)

Most important information is the last two paragraphs, Bush confirms he will sign the bill.

Insiders Say Move Is Payback
By Amy Keller and Mark Preston
Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) war on pork barrel spending may cost him critical votes in the Senate's upcoming debate over his other signature issue - campaign finance reform. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) last week told the GOP leadership that he has switched his position since last year and plans to vote with them against a cloture motion that would allow campaign reform to bypass a conference, meaning that McCain would have one less vote to work with as he tries to ward off a filibuster by opponents of his measure.

Stevens aides denied that his stance on campaign finance reform is linked to anything other than philosophical objections he has to portions of the bill.

But many Capitol Hill insiders believe his sudden about-face stems from McCain's continued attacks on pet projects Stevens has been securing for Alaska.

"Stevens is tired of it," said a Democratic Appropriations Committee aide, who suggested that McCain's attacks on Stevens during the appropriations process did not go unnoticed.

Said another source intimately involved in the campaign finance reform negotiations: "This may be a way for Stevens to have some way of leverage with McCain regarding the pork barrel spending stuff."

For years McCain has posted lengthy lists of what he considers to be examples of "pork barrel" spending on his official Senate Web site. During debates over appropriations legislation, McCain is famous for going to the floor and lambasting his fellow Senators for their earmarks.

Stevens, the most senior Republican on the Appropriations Committee, has been a chief target of McCain's tirades against what he deems "government waste."

Among the projects that McCain has singled out as "pork" in the FY 2002 budget are several benefiting Stevens' constituents, including a $1 million dust-abatement study in the tiny community of Kotzebue, Alaska, $2.25 million for "winter recreation opportunities" at a recreation area in Fairbanks, and $990,000 for an adult day-care center in Juneau.

In December, McCain was particularly incensed about a $5 million cultural exchange program involving the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, the Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, and museums in Hawaii and coastal Massachusetts. Each museum will receive a $1 million subsidy.

When asked by the Anchorage Daily News how the 49th state made out in the Defense spending bill last December, Stevens replied with a "half-suppressed" grin, "like a bandit."

Stevens aides said the Alaska Republican has problems with how the bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), affects nonprofits.

"Senator Stevens expressed concern about the Senate's campaign finance reform bill when it passed the Senate last year but supported it because he wanted the issue to move forward," said Melanie Alvord, the Alaskan's spokeswoman. "He remains concerned about nonprofit organizations using tax-deductible contributions for essentially political purposes with no requirement to disclose the source of their funds."

Through his spokeswoman, Nancy Ives, McCain told Roll Call that he has "no idea why Senator Stevens has taken the position he has and hasn't discussed the issue with him lately."

But one ally of McCain remarked that it "wouldn't be the first time" that a lawmaker has switched his vote on the reform issue because of a dislike of the Arizona Republican's tactics.

McCain-Feingold supporters emphasize that while they appear to have lost Stevens' support for a cloture motion, his defection was essentially canceled out by Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.), who has said he will support the bill.

"I want to get McCain-Feingold passed," Hollings said, adding that he had opposed it in the past because he had "raised a constitutional question" about the bill.

After the House passed the Shays-Meehan measure last week, Hollings told reporters that he plans to vote with other Democrats in favor of cloture on McCain-Feingold and that he plans to support the bill in final passage.

John Feehery, spokesman for Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), said yesterday that he expects the GOP leader will send Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and Marty Meehan's (D-Mass.)bill to the Senate either Monday or Tuesday. Democrats and supporters of campaign finance reform said they are hoping to take up the issue as soon as the Senate returns, though Republicans have said they may try to block consideration of the measure until they have finished debating the energy bill.

Observers are also closely watching two other lawmakers who could provide key votes in the impending debate: Sens. John Breaux (D-La.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.). Hagel has not indicated which way he'll vote.

Breaux said last week that he believes the the bill raises "constitutional"questions and that he would prefer the "elimination of all soft money."

"I'm concerned about an unlevel playing field," said Breaux, who is still undecided about how he will vote on the issue.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), one of the bill's harshest critics, said on the Sunday talk shows that he is continuing to study the measure and that he and his fellow Republicans plan to offer a number of amendments to make the legislation more appealing.

McConnell said he is aware of at least one Senator who would like to see an immediate ban on soft money, with current stockpiles of soft money "transferred to the victims of the Enron debacle."

"There may be some changes that need to be made to just keep it from being a total disaster," McConnell said of the legislation that passed the House on Feb. 13 in a 240-189 vote.

Supporters of the legislation, however, contend that any amendments that force the bill into a conference would effectively kill it, and they plan to fight any and all efforts to alter the bill.

The White House, meanwhile, continued this week to send ever stronger signals to Congressional Republicans that President Bush has no intention of blocking the reform legislation if it gets through Congress.

At a meeting of more than 100 top GOP aides on retreat in the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, David Hobbs, a Congressional lobbyist for the White House, unequivocally said Bush will not veto the legislation, according to an aide who was present.

"If campaign finance reform reaches the President's desk, he'll sign it," said Hobbs, according to the aide. After many of the aides let out a "big gasp," the aide said, Hobbes explained that the President was making the decision himself and that he shouldn't be second-guessed, declining to give a detailed explanation to why Bush would sign the bill.

This wasn't a retreat for "aides", it was limited to Chief of Staffs for the House GOP, the guys who run the offices. These retreats are held so the White House can be completely candid. Minority party, here we come.

To contact the White House ---

Extremely Friendly Operators At WH: (202)456-1414 Call and Advise a VETO of CFR!
White House fax no.: (202) 456-2461
Send a Western Union Telegram ---
Call 1-800-325-6000 to speak with a Customer Service Representative in English, or find an Agent location.
Llame 1-800-325-4045 para hablar con un representante de servicio al cliente en español, o buscar una agencia.

"If campaign finance reform reaches the President's desk, he'll sign it,"

I believe this meeting was before the liberals threw in the loophole was it not?

He is really letting us down. Oh Im so upset that Bush will sign the CFR. As I stated before, I will not vote for any politician that signs on to the CFR. Free Speech is worth defending.

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