DeLay, McCain Go a Few Rounds on Fund-Raising

Senators have been congratulating one another on the tone and depth of their debate of campaign finance reform, but one of the House’s leading Republicans ended the week with a bit of old-fashioned sniping.

House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) took aim at the leading advocate for reform, accusing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of the “height of hypocrisy” over an incident involving a group supporting his efforts.

McCain allowed the group, Americans for Reform, to use a Senate office to show reporters a television advertisement that urges Congress to ban “soft money” fund-raising. The ad was paid for with the same kind of largely unregulated donations that McCain’s bill seeks to ban, DeLay charged.

“Sen. McCain, you should be ashamed of yourself,” DeLay said. “I wish you would practice what you preach.”

McCain responded that there was nothing improper about the use of the Senate room. He also noted that if his bill passes, independent groups such as Americans for Reform would still be allowed to raise money without limits. Only political parties would be barred from collecting such soft-money contributions.

“Tom needs to take a deep breath, get a hold of himself, sit down and read my bill,” McCain said.

Some saw the potshot by DeLay as a sign that prospects for campaign finance reform are improving in the Senate, forcing House Republicans who oppose the measure to gird for a fight.