FEINSTEIN FOR SENATE: CALIFORNIA'S CAPABLE SENATOR DESERVES VICTORY

She's a San Francisco Democrat endorsed by cops throughout the state, a
self-described "city girl" endorsed by the Farm Bureau, the former mayor of
America's most liberal community for whom "tough on drugs" is a central
campaign theme. The Republican mayor of Los Angeles supports the former
Democratic mayor of San Francisco rather than her Republican congressman
opponent. It's no surprise to find Sen. Dianne Feinstein entering the final
weeks of her fourth statewide campaign as a prohibitive, double-digit
favorite for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Firmly positioned in the political middle on a wide range of issues, she
has earned her popular spot in the public eye. Over the course of her
public service, Feinstein has matured into a responsive, centrist lawmaker
with a growing legacy of service and legislative leadership. Given the
often-fractious nature of the state's congressional delegation, she must
often take the lead in shepherding California interests through Washington,
a role she plays with increasing skill and influence.

Early in her Senate tenure, she cast a crucial vote supporting the budget
reconciliation act of 1993 that established federal spending discipline and
launched the country on the path to record prosperity. She remains an
important Senate vote for fiscal prudence on matters such as Social
Security, tax cuts and how to use projected surpluses.

As a moderate in a closely divided Senate, she has had success in working
across the partisan aisle, and has her name on important legislation often
denied members of the minority party. Among the most noteworthy were
passage of the assault weapons ban, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of
many military-style weapons, and her role in the landmark CalFed water
process. She was a central figure in crafting the state-federal agreement
that saved the Headwaters redwoods from harvest.

Many of her positions contrast sharply with her challenger, the energetic
and inventive Rep. Tom Campbell. Generally a moderate Republican himself,
Campbell occupies a number of positions on Feinstein's left in this
campaign, most dramatically on the question of how to combat the nation's
drug problem.

Campbell endorses the California ballot measure essentially eliminating
criminal penalties for drug possession crimes in favor of treatment. In
addition, he's gone farther in suggesting legalization of some drugs, an
argument centered on removing the profit from drug sales and the crime from
obtaining them. A law school professor and intellectual, he marshals
articulate and reasoned arguments for his positions, but like Proposition
36 he goes too far in abandoning existing law for untested solutions.

Feinstein's reflexive support of existing drug war measures is
disappointing, though she is now careful to include support of treatment
and prevention in the arsenal. There is growing awareness throughout the
country that decades of "war on drugs" have failed and that solutions based
on curbing demand are essential. We hope Feinstein can learn to embrace
crucial new solutions as fiercely as she has traditional enforcement methods.

Overall, Dianne Feinstein is a good senator who's been getting better,
improving her focus on constituent service and state concerns while also
playing a growing role as a bipartisan legislator who can pass bills and
win victories. She has earned the wide support her record commands in
California, and deserves a substantial vote of confidence in returning to
the Senate.