We're currently in the middle of the blackout period. What's that, you ask? It's the 60 days before the general election when groups are banned from naming candidates for federal office by name by the McCain-Feingold act. It's the reason you don't see ads by the NRA or ACLU encouraging you to contact your congressman or senator to protest against this or that.

The only thing more disgusting about McCain-Feingold, also known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, is the fact that President Bush signed the thing and that the Supreme Court was too blinkered to strike it down. The BCRA restricts the speech that was once believed to have the most protection from the constitution: political speech. Nowadays the "speech" with the most protection is flag-burning and nude dancing.

Unfortunately, BCRA is part of a trend to silence not only those who oppose certain incumbents, but also those who have the gall to oppose government actions, as a Newsweek column by George Will aptly points out.

In Florida, a businesswoman ceased publication of her small-town newspaper rather than bear compliance costs imposed by that state's speech police. Even though the Wakulla Independent Reporter contained community news and book reviews as well as political news and editorials, state campaign regulators declared it an "electioneering communication" in league with certain candidates, and ordered her to register with, and file regular reports to, the government.

This is the America produced by "reformers" led by John McCain. The U.S. Supreme Court, in affirming the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold speech restrictions, advocated deference toward elected officials when they write laws regulating speech about elected officials and their deeds. This turned the First Amendment from the foundation of robust politics into a constitutional trifle to be "balanced" against competing considerations -- combating the "appearance of corruption," or elevating political discourse or something. As a result, attempts to use campaign regulations to silence opponents are becoming a routine part of vicious political combat.

Will gives other examples of the use of campaign-finance laws to silence opposition. If there's one reason why John McCain should never become president, then this is it. It should come as little surprise that politicians aren't all that interested in what their constituents have to say, but what's worse is that we let them get away with it.