Several weeks ago, the national party campaign committees returned soft-money donations which came directly from Enron's political action committee.

Other gambling interests also gave large soft-money donations to the committee.

The committee took in numerous soft-money donations of $25,000 or more.

In another major development, there are efforts to set up groups to accept soft-money donations as the parties once did.

One, like the underlying bill, would have banned soft-money donations.

Currently the legislation calls for soft-money donations to be banned 30 days after the bill is signed into law.

A bipartisan bill now before Congress seeks to end soft-money donations.

Would have placed new restrictions on "soft-money" donations to political parties.

Why not do the right thing and voluntarily forswear all soft-money donations to the committee?

Yet a possible ban on soft-money donations could not come at a worse time for the Democratic Party because of its large debt.