"As a lifelong Democrat and public servant to four presidents, I had hoped the financial reform bill would be the best example of my party's long-standing reputation for standing on the side of individual investors.

"It's not. The bill, already weakened by deal-making as it emerged from the Senate, has been bled dry of nearly every meaningful protection of investors.

"Ironically, the authors of this bill are the same Democrats who normally would have opposed many of its features if they were in the minority. Now in the majority, these politicians are investor advocates in their press releases alone. "