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From Richard Poe:
http://www.richardpoe.com/soros07.18.04.html
Few Americans realize that it was George Soros who bankrolled the seven-year lobbying effort without which McCain-Feingold never would have seen the light of day.

"Combine… the $1.7 million that Mr. Soros gave the Center for Public Integrity, the $1.3 million he gave Public Campaign, the $300,000 to Democracy 21, the $625,000 to Common Cause, and the $275,000 to Public Citizen – and you can be forgiven for believing Mr. Soros got campaign finance passed all by himself," notes a Wall Street Journal editorial.

McCain-Feingold neatly accomplishes Soros’ goal of regulating political discourse on the airwaves. It bars "special interest groups" from placing ads for or against any candidate for federal office on TV or radio 60 days before a general election, and 30 days before a primary. These "special interest groups" can be anything from corporations to grassroots networks of concerned citizens.

Big Media networks, on the other hand, are exempted from the blackout. Unlike other corporations, they are not classified as "special interest groups." During the blackout period, Big Media networks may say whatever they like about any candidate on their news reports and talk shows.

McCain-Feingold thus grants to Viacom (which owns CBS); Disney (which owns ABC); GE (which owns NBC); Time Warner (which owns CNN) and to other multibillion-dollar media conglomerates what amounts to a government-enforced monopoly on political speech during election season. Curiously, wealthy individuals such as George Soros are also exempt from the TV and radio blackout.