Dianne Feinstein: “the Senate is poised to pass S. 27, the McCain-Feingold bipartisan campaign reform bill. The momentum for the bill is…”

“the Senate is poised to pass S. 27, the McCain-Feingold bipartisan campaign reform bill. The momentum for the bill is building. The President has announced that he is disinclined to veto this bill. We could be on the brink of enacting the first significant campaign reforms in a generation. I would like to make a few observations. First, I want to salute the bill's sponsors, Senators McCain and Feingold. We are considering this bill only because of the sheer force of their collective will. They have suffered innumerable set-backs pushing for this legislation over the past several years. But they never got discouraged; they never let up. Their dedication to this cause has been extraordinary. I also want to commend the majority and minority leaders and the bill's managers, Senators McConnell and Dodd, for crafting a way to consider the bill that has been a breath of fresh air here in the Senate. For the past 2 weeks, we have operated in a way the Senate was meant to operate. We have been the deliberative body the Founding Fathers meant for us to be. I hope the spirit in which we have conducted debate on this bill continues long after we vote on its final passage.”