Opponents of McCain-Feingold played up the afternoon press conference by the man offering the rival bill, McCain's buddy and fellow Vietnam veteran Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. Hagel introduced a few more Republican cosponsors of his bill, which caps the unregulated unlimited contributions known as soft money at $60,000 per person per year per election per party -- as opposed to the McCain-Feingold bill, which bans soft money outright.

Hagel refers to his bill as the Hagel-Landrieu bill, in deference to Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., one of three Democrats who are on board with his bill. Somewhat awkwardly, Landrieu is also a cosponsor of McCain-Feingold, which she says is her first choice. Hagel's bill, however, is the tacit first choice of President George W. Bush -- even though, scorekeepers at home will proudly recall, Bush proposed banning union and corporate soft money altogether during his presidential primaries.

"I wanted to also acknowledge the fact that we have four new cosponsors who have joined us," Hagel said at today's press conference, introducing Republican Sens. Wayne Allard of Colorado, Sam Brownback of Kansas, George Voinovich of Ohio and Larry Craig of Idaho.

"We will have more," Hagel vowed.

McCain pooh-poohed the Hagel bill's chances. In the Senate press gallery to rap with the Washington Post's legendary Mary McGrory, McCain told a cluster of reporters that "there's not a doubt in my mind" Hagel's bill won't pass.

What did pass Tuesday was the "millionaire's amendment" to McCain-Feingold, so pivotal to Day 1, and worked out by the Three Ds -- Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. The amendment passed overwhelmingly at around noon, by a 70-30 vote. The amendment lifts caps on donations from individuals and political parties for a candidate facing a millionaire opponent using private funds to bankroll a campaign.

It was vigorously opposed by Democratic chieftains like Minority Leader Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Minority Whip Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada -- who called the amendment a "shell game." Still, 23 Democrats broke ranks and joined with 47 Republicans to attach the provision to the McCain-Feingold bill.

McCain downplayed the conflict.

"Oh c'mon, c'mon," McCain said. "This is not a major issue. We all know what the major issues are: They're soft money and severability."

"Severability" refers to what the McCain-Feingold forces consider the lurking panther of an amendment. Bush and GOP senators have said that any campaign finance bill that passes should remain one whole, and if any part of the bill is found unconstitutional, the whole thing should be chucked into the garbage.

The McCain-Feingold team is wary of this, of course, as it will make scrapping any reform that much more possible. Only 10 bills in 12 years had had "non-severability" clauses, McCain said, so he didn't understand the big push for it this time except as a way to flush the package.

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