"For the third day in a row, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) broke with his Democratic colleagues Wednesday and voted to block the start of formal Senate debate on a far-reaching bill to overhaul financial regulations...there has been widespread skepticism on Capitol Hill about Nelson's public explanation for his dissent, and the bill's sponsor, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), added further doubts by saying that Nelson raised concerns about a provision concerning exotic financial instruments called derivatives...That provision has drawn fire from Berkshire Hathaway, the Omaha-based company of billionaire Warren Buffett, and Nelson's biggest donor over the past decade. (Buffett is a director of The Washington Post Co.) Berkshire Hathaway or individuals associated with the company have contributed $75,550 to Nelson's campaign war chest since 2000...Nelson's most recent financial disclosure form, filed last year, shows that he and his wife owned between $1.5 million and $6 million in Berkshire stock in 2008 -- by far Nelson's largest listed asset."
WashPost