American Notes CIVIL RIGHTS

It looked like a lopsided win for the Democrats last week when their civil rights bill passed in the House, 273-158. But looks can be deceiving: the yeas fell 17 votes shy of the 290 (two-thirds of the full House) needed to override President Bush's promised veto. Bush has repeatedly charged that the legislation would encourage racial hiring quotas, though the bill specifically declares job quotas illegal.

The bill was intended to counter a series of Supreme Court decisions that make it more difficult for workers to win job-discrimination lawsuits. Democrats accuse the President of playing racial politics, preferring to flog the quota issue in next year's election rather than pass an effective law.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where there is already talk of compromise. A group of nine moderate Republicans, led by Missouri's John Danforth, have put together their own version in an attempt to bridge the gulf separating Bush and the Democrats. "There is still time to reach a compromise that will bring us together," said Democratic Senator Edward M. Kennedy. But the White House has so far shown little interest in negotiating.