Campaign finance passed

WASHINGTON -- Congress approved the most sweeping changes to the nation's campaign finance system since the Watergate scandals on Wednesday, ending years of gridlock and clearing the bill for President Bush's signature. Critics promised a swift court challenge. \nFinal passage came on a 60-40 Senate vote, a relatively comfortable margin that belied previous combat on a measure designed to reduce the role of special interest money in politics. \nThe House passed the bill last month on a vote of 240-189. Bush is expected to sign the legislation, although White House officials have not said so explicitly. \n"With the stroke of the president's pen, we will eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars of unregulated soft money that has caused Americans to question the integrity of their elected representatives," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whose dogged pursuit of the issue helped fuel his rise to national prominence. \n"The status quo is not acceptable and today it will end," added Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. \nAfter years of delay, Republican opponents offered congratulations to the bill's supporters -- and said they would see them in court. \n"I am consoled by the obvious fact that the courts do not defer to the Congress on matters of the Constitution," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the measure's most prominent Senate critic. \n"We have allowed a few powerful editorial pages to prod us into infringing the First Amendment rights of everyone but them," he said, contending the measure would prove detrimental to the political parties. \nThe centerpiece of the bill is a ban on unlimited "soft money" donations to the national political parties, typically five- and six-figure donations made by corporations, unions and individuals. \nState and local parties could accept up to $10,000 a year in soft money per donor for voter registration and other party-building affecting federal candidates. \nAnother key provision would ban the use of soft money to buy "issue ads" within 60 days of an election or 30 days of a primary. These ads are customarily purchased by political parties or outside groups. And while they stop short of expressly advocating the victory or defeat of a candidate, they often are harshly critical. \nIndividuals would be permitted to donate up to $2,000 to presidential or congressional candidates, a doubling of the present $1,000 limit. \nThe changes will take effect on Nov. 6, meaning the parties can continue to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in soft money to support candidates in this fall's mid-term elections. \nThe Senate's vote capped a decade of struggle on the issue.