Harry Reid: “On December 10 I was in Las Vegas when my staff stepped into a meeting and said the Supreme Court had upheld the…”

“On December 10 I was in Las Vegas when my staff stepped into a meeting and said the Supreme Court had upheld the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform bill. I couldn't believe it. All of the political prognosticators said this very conservative Supreme Court would not uphold that law. They not only upheld the law but they completely repudiated what the intermediate court of appeals had done. They went past them and upheld the law. I was so happy that after I got out of my meeting, when the press called me, I said that if Sandra Day O'Connor were available I would give her a big hug because the decision she wrote was tremendous. She broke from the pack to do what no one thought she would do. I have tremendous respect and admiration for her courage in doing that. I wrote her a letter and told her what I said publicly. What she did was tremendous. Why did she do it? A lot of it is not only based upon her academic prowess but the fact that she served as an elected State legislator in Arizona. I am sure she remembers what fundraising is all about. The bipartisan campaign finance reform law--I call it bipartisan because John McCain was one of the main sponsors, even though it was passed primarily by Democrats in the House and the Senate--and the December 10 ruling were the culmination of a remarkable 8-year effort by two outstanding public servants. They first introduced this bill in September of 1995.”