he impasse over Bradley Smith's nomination to the Federal Elections Commission has finally been broken. Democrats agreed to go along with the Republican pick, whose free-market views on campaign-finance reform they detest. In return for Smith (and another Republican FEC appointment), Democrats apparently got Republican agreement to move at least 63 Clinton nominees through the confirmation process—including 16 federal judges.

Most of these nominees would have gotten through anyway, so the deal is arguably defensible. But Senate conservatives are griping about the timing: They say Republican leader Trent Lott shouldn't be rewarding his Democratic counterpart, Tom Daschle, for his obstructionist tactics. Last week, Daschle was blasting Lott for running a "dictatorship" (i.e., not letting him grandstand on guns as much as he wants). He brought the Senate to a halt in order to air his bogus procedural arguments. (For example: Daschle seems to be under the impression that appropriations bills have to move through the House before the Senate. The constitutional requirement he has in mind concerns tax bills.) Daschle has threatened to shut down the Senate before if he doesn't get his way. One of these days, Trent Lott is going to have to call his bluff.

This New Leader
Vice President Gore's campaign may spend $30 million this summer on television ads showing "who this new leader is and what he stands for," says an "official close to the ad production" in today's Washington Post. The first ads will feature Gore's biography. "Focus groups love his newspaper stuff," says the Post's source, in reference to ads that highlight Gore's stint as a reporter at the Nashville Tennessean.

They may be in love with a lie. One of the first fibs told by Gore that received widespread attention concerned his days as a reporter. In 1987, as Gore was revving up to run in the Democratic presidential primaries, he claimed that his work "got a bunch of people indicted and sent to jail." In truth, Gore wrote some stories that contributed to the indictments of two city councilmen. One was acquitted and the other was given a suspended sentence. When Gore was confronted with this news, he admitted to "a careless statement that was unintentional."

And it will probably end up on the cutting-room floor. (For NR's continuing list of Gore lies.)

Al TV
The new Gore ads are supposed to help viewers "get a sense of the intellectual curiosity and intellectual successes of Al Gore over the last 20 years," according to the Post's DNC Deep Throat. A couple of potential campaign slogans come to mind: "Al Gore — an intellectual curiosity" or "Al Gore — he's smarter than you." This really is starting to feel like the 1988 campaign all over again, but not in the way Gore is hoping.