One can certainly complain that it took too long, that the Democratic Party should have been fined a lot more than $120,000, or that the total fines should be higher, but don't let the miniscule $2000 to Clinton-Gore campaign drive your thinking. The fact is, virtually nothing was Clinton-Gore - virtually all or maybe even all of these foreign money fundraising shenanigans were for the Democratic National Committee, not the actual campaign, so that's where the fines are (to some extent anyway) and should be. From a legal standpoint, the fact that contributions to the Dem National Committee may have been used to promote Clinton-Gore is irrelevent.
As for the fines on the Democrats, it's amazing the FEC agreed to any fines at all, given that it takes 4 votes to levy a fine and three of the six members are Democrats appointed by Clinton.
If the Republicans played hardball like the Democrats do, this would be mentioned on every talking head show tomorrow, and for the NEXT SIX WEEKS. We would wrap this around McAuliffe's neck like a boulder and use it to hang everyone from Erskine Bowles to Robert Reich to Bob Torricelli.
Why do you think the newsies are doing their best to bury it?? We could tar sooo many Democrats as being corrupt just before election time. And this may be our only chance since CFR may take away our right to criticize in 2004.
Let's start PINGING. This thing can reach critical mass if we try hard enough. Let's get Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage et al to stop beating the war drums long enough to kick these guys in the shorts over this.
And it if we yell loudly, it may just stop a Gore or Hillary campaign in 2004 in their tracks.
"THE DEMOCRATS: TOO CORRUPT TO RUN AMERICA"
Oh, I can see the 30-second ads....