Daschle has it both ways on campaign finance "reform"

Today's edition of the Washington Post has a story headlined "FEC Chairman Backs Organizations' Use of 'Soft Money'." Excerpt:

Defying Republican Party demands to rule illegal the plans of a network of pro-Democratic political committees, Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley A. Smith now argues that these committees should remain free to raise and spend large contributions known as "soft money."

Smith's argument, spelled out in a 37-page proposal to his five FEC colleagues, sharply increases, but does not guarantee, the likelihood that new pro-Democratic groups with multimillion-dollar budgets will become significant forces in the 2004 election and become what amounts to a "shadow" Democratic Party.

...

Smith's position was supported in a letter to the FEC from eight Democratic senators, including Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.), Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and Dianne Feinstein (Calif.).

...

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) have taken the opposite view. In Senate floor statements, the two called for tough regulation of the 527 organizations. McCain declared: "It is time for the FEC, rather than being an enabler to those who want to subvert the laws, to be a true enforcer of the law."

So now Tom Daschle thinks Bradley Smith's positions are just peachy. Back when campaign finance reform was a great rhetorical bludgeon to pound Republicans with, Tom Daschle was not nearly so keen on Bradley Smith, as the Wall Street Journal opinion page points out today in a piece headlined "Campaign Finance Follies; Democrats owe Bradley Smith an apology." Excerpt:

The supreme irony in all this is that Mr. Smith's consistency has suddenly made him the darling of every pro-Democrat organization in Washington. No fewer than 324 liberal groups have warned the FEC not to restrict 527s, including Ralph Neas's People for the American Way, the abortion rights lobby and the Sierra Club. Many of these groups not only supported campaign finance reform but also tried to block Mr. Smith's nomination to the FEC in 2000.

At the time Mr. Smith was variously denounced as a "nihilist" (Illinois Senator Dick Durbin), a throwback to "the dark days of Watergate" (Common Cause), and a "flat-earth society poobah" (Atlanta Constitution, where they need fresher metaphors). Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle was quoted at the time saying that giving Mr. Smith the job was "not just asking the fox to guard the chicken coop," but "inviting the fox inside and locking the door behind him." Apparently these worthies are only in favor of regulating free speech when the speakers at issue are their political opponents.

As the piece points out, Tom Daschle's reversal of principle on the issue of campaign finance reform is amusing and embarrassing. It is just one more indication of Tom Daschle having it both ways on controversial issues.