CAMPAIGN REFORM GENERATES HOT AIR AND WINS COLD SHOULDER.(A SECTION)

Consider the contrast. At a Senate hearing, Republicans decry the fund-raising tactics of the 1996 Clinton/Gore campaign, charging that the Democratic team collected illegal foreign contributions and that the president and vice president solicited money while at the White House.

That same day, on the Senate floor, Connie Mack, R-Fla., lined up with his fellow Republicans to block a vote on a bill to reform campaign finance practices. By refusing to limit the debate on the McCain-Feingold reform bill, the GOP majority helped to ensure that campaign reform won't be enacted this year.

Most Republicans maintain there is no contradiction in their actions. They say the Clinton …