FEINSTEIN FOR U.S. SENATE It takes a great deal of mental toughness, political savvy and just plain hard work to effectively represent a state as large and diverse as California. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has shown for the past eight years that she is more than up to the job. Feinstein, 67, is running for re-election against Rep. Tom Campbell, R-San Jose, a 48-year-old Stanford law professor who has established himself over the past decade as one of the most thoughtful and independent members of the House. Californians thus have the luxury of choosing between two very capable and experienced leaders whose voting records do not always fall along the predictable paths of their respective parties. They are centrists and problem solvers. In this race, the edge goes to Feinstein, the former San Francisco mayor, because of her strong record in the Senate. She has shown a willingness to tackle difficult issues. For example, she successfully sponsored a 1994 assault-weapons ban and a desert-protection bill that covered 7 million acres. She brokered the agreement to preserve the 7,500-acre Headwaters forest in Humboldt County. She has played a major role in developing California water policy. During a recent meeting with The Chronicle Editorial Board, Feinstein said her next-term goals would include tightening up gun laws -- including a system of licensing -- and finding a way to ease the effects of electricity regulation. She said she would insist on fiscal policies that keep the country on course toward stabilizing Social Security and Medicare -- and retiring the national debt in 12 years. She also said a new National Cancer Act was needed to bring fresh and intensified strategies to the fight against the disease. We like her priorities and we like her chances of achieving them. Campbell, refusing to take PAC money, never really had a chance to get out his message of conservatism on government spending and moderation on social issues. He brought an especially bold message to one front. He knew he would endure ``the cheap shots'' when he dared to suggest -- rightly -- that the supply-side-obsessed ``drug war'' has been a failure. He proudly defended his vote to shift $1.3 billion from military aid to Colombia to domestic treatment programs. Feinstein, locked in a law-and-order mind-set, unfairly dismissed Campbell's suggestions for pursuing new treatment approaches as aggressively as criminal prosecutions. The soft-spoken Republican deserves credit for taking a head-on approach to the politically perilous ``drug war'' issue, but that alone is not enough to overcome the many compelling reasons to re-elect Dianne Feinstein. California has an outstanding senior U.S. senator, and she is ready to apply her energy and considerable skills to six more years of service on issues of utmost importance to this state. Californians should re-elect Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Nov. 7.
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