DIANNE FEINSTEIN: Charm Is Only Half Her Story

Last September, in the dark autumn of Dianne Feinstein's discontent, her campaign for the governorship of California seemed dead in the water. She had been laid up half the summer recovering from a hysterectomy. Her San Francisco-based political consultant had ditched her, complaining that she lacked sufficient "fire in the belly" to respond to the opposition's scoffing attacks about her low profile. As she fell twelve points behind in the polls, many politicians guessed she might have to drop out of the race.

Just as she was dejectedly weighing her waning options, Feinstein met privately with the president of the Fund...