The conflicts between Republicans and Democrats are sometimes put aside for larger causes. This week, in Washington, D.C., party differences are being put aside for the greater good — more incumbency protection for Congress.

Incumbents already enjoy many advantages, particularly when it comes to money, over their election challengers. Despite re-election rates well over 90 percent, those advantages are apparently not enough for the pols in Washington.

Tucked into a 438-page appropriations bill that funds transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary as well as Housing and Urban Development is an unrelated provision that would loosen campaign finance regulations to benefit — no surprise here — incumbents, the people writing the bill.

Specifically, the change would allow incumbents to transfer unlimited funds from their leadership PAC (political action committees) to their national political party. Then, the thinking goes, the party would re-route the money back to the candidate in amounts no longer limited by the 2002 campaign finance laws applying to leadership PACs.

The proposed rule would allow incumbent senators to boost the contributions from wealthy competitors from about $5,000 to over $34,000.

Defenders of the provision say that the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law of 2002 is too restrictive and needs to be changed. If that is the case, why sneak the change into an unrelated bill that is a must-pass piece of legislation not normally given much scrutiny? Simple, because the incumbents don’t want people to know that they are trying to find ways to lock-in even more job protection than they already enjoy.

If change to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law is warranted, there should be public debate, not a stealth roll-back of the rules buried in a routine appropriations bill.

Incumbents already have major advantages over challengers — from name recognition, free mailings and gerrymandered districts made safe for one party or the other, to the ability to extract big campaign contributions from people, companies and organizations looking for favors from government.

Until term limits are imposed on members of Congress, the next best thing is to try to level the electoral playing field. Incumbents, the vast majority of whom will hold their jobs for as long as they desire, need no further advantages.

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, should know he has popular support this week as he works to eliminate this loophole that weakens the campaign finance law he co-authored.

— J.L.W.III