“End McCain-Feingold”
-Mitt Romney (CPAC)

“I’m not prepared to go there yet, but I wonder if we shouldn’t just take off the limits and have full disclosure with harsh penalties for not reporting everything on the Internet immediately.”
-Fred Thompson (WSJ)

I know several on the right view BCRA (McCain-Feingold) as a defining issue and if thats the case both McCain and Giuliani are carrying significant baggage. Sen. Thompson, the fourth horseman looming out there, had voted for McCain-Feingold and had been a proponent of it. Though he notes he was the one who proposed the amendment lifting the $1,000 / person cap and tying it to inflation. However, his recent statement to John Fund of the WSJ says he’s thinking 100% immediate disclosure, no limits. This has always been my personal position and my expierences in Pennsylvania (which has no contribution limits) showed me how important large donations are to protecting democracy, as without them beating incumbents grows exponentially harder.

Now obviously Sen. Thompson could be switching positions to give himself a primary advantage, but like I do with Mitt Romney, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he is a true convert.