Political speech = free speech. Let it be.

George Will heaps scorn on the very notion of the Federal Election Committee in today's WashPost: "Paralyze the FEC? Splendid."

What if we had deregulated politics -- including the sort of presidential campaigns that produced 33 presidents (including some pretty good ones -- Lincoln, TR, the sainted Coolidge, FDR, Truman, Ike) before the Federal Election Commission was created in 1975? Most of the rules, the possible nonenforcement of which has The Post in a swivet [" The Missing Referee," editorial, Dec. 7], are constitutionally dubious abridgements of freedom of speech and association, so sensible citizens should rejoice about the current disarray of the FEC.

The six-person FEC -- three members from each party -- enforces the rules it writes about how Americans are permitted to participate in politics. You thought the First Amendment said enough about that participation? Silly you.

The machinations of the FEC have only made election rules more Byzantine but elections are no less corrupt. We should have more faith in democracy than to try to enforce arbitrary restrictions on free speech, which are often crafted as a kind of incumbency protection scheme.

Extra - From the Hill: " New 527 group takes aim at campaign contribution limits"