I appreciate you adding these facts to the discussion. I didn't know all of that. But isn't it fair to say that without CFR, there is no need for 527s? And how long did it take for them to surface after CFR? Ten minutes? No one in the White House from Alberto Gonzalez on down had a clue? An inkling? And if 527s are illegal, then the law GWB signed would prevent the swift boats from being heard, no? Sounds to me like on CFR, I can bash GWB as hard as I want, and on 527s. It's his bed. Ok, he didn't make the pillowcases. But he put em on the bed. No?
No, it actually took a little time for the 527s. My read on it, and I am guessing Bush's as well, would be that the law would be struck down as unConstitutional because it would grossly limit political free speech. The FEC, in an effort to reduce the gross unConstituionality, created the 527 exception.
In essence, this is the FEC writing election law. Bush signed a blatantly unConstitutional law, and he should be bashed for that. But I don't think this particular 527 issue can be blamed on him because it wasn't in the law, and I think the FEC is way out of bounds in 'reading' a giant loophole into the law.
The CFR that Bush signed would have stripped both the Swift Vets and Moron.org of their free speech rights. But it also would have been struck down. I think Bush got outmanuevered by the entrenched washington political class who was just not going to give up its soft money.
I disagree with CFR. But I think Bush can unhypocritically denounce all 527s.