Hillary Operative Eyeing Soft Money for Prez Race

The Democratic Party insider who masterminded Hillary Clinton's successful U.S. Senate run three years ago is exploring loopholes in the new campaign finance law to raise tens of millions of dollars for the 2004 presidential race.

Former Clinton White House deputy chief of staff Harold Ickes acknowledged last week that he was involved in the effort to circumvent the new rules banning soft money, saying he was forming new Democrat-leaning interest groups that would be able to raise millions of dollars and still be in compliance with the law.

"The groups are emerging as a shadow party with an important advantage," the Washington Post said.

"Unlike national party committees, they can accept soft money - contributions from corporations and unions in any size and unlimited donations from any source - for next year's election."

"Welcome to campaign finance reform," Ickes boasted to the paper, apparently pleased that he'd found a way for Democrats to beat the new money restrictions.

A fund planned by Ickes will raise money for ads on Democratic issues that focus on the presidency, the Post said. "Those of us who know about it just refer to it as the 'media fund,'" Ickes told the paper cryptically.

Ickes' involvement in the presidential fund-raising effort is further evidence that Sen. Clinton is preparing to jump into the 2004 presidential race herself, according to longtime Clinton adviser Dick Morris.

"With Harold Ickes doing the fund raising and Terry McAuliffe running the Democratic National Committee, Hillary is in possession of all the levers of power should she decide to run in 2004," Morris told NewsMax. "This certainly looks like she's at least considering a run in 2004," he added.

As Mrs. Clinton's chief strategist plotted ways to raise money for the 2004 race, other Clinton administration veterans have launched a "Recall Bush" movement as part of a multi-pronged political assault to retake the White House.

The new group, dubbed "the Fair and Balanced PAC," was founded by former Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart and former White House adviser Mike Lux. The group has put together a Web site, www.bushrecall.org.

"What we hope to do is to remind people that all of the things that are being said about [Calif. Gov.] Gray Davis as the reasons for the recall can be applied to George Bush," Lux said told the Post on Wednesday. "They say Davis turned big surpluses into deficits in a matter of a couple of years. That's the same thing that happened with George Bush."

Ickes and Lux are reportedly working closely together, coordinating media strategies they hope will render President Bush vulnerable in 2004.

Asked whether she thought Bush could be defeated next year, Sen. Clinton said last week, "Absolutely, yes."

Clinton continues to maintain, however, that she has no plans to enter the presidential race despite the heavy involvement of so many of her former staffers in the bid to unseat Bush.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
2004 Elections
Sen. Hillary Clinton

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