Feinstein OKs debate with Campbell; undergoes two-hour surgery

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Sen. Dianne Feinstein has agreed to two debates with her Republican rival, Rep. Tom Campbell, her campaign consultant says.

Details have yet to be worked out, and hinge on Feinstein's recovery from surgery Tuesday to repair a broken leg, said Kam Kuwata, a consultant for the senator's re-election campaign.

Campbell, a San Jose congressman, challenged Feinstein last week to take part in debates. The debates will likely be during the week of Oct. 22, Kuwata said.

Feinstein broke her leg in a fall during a Labor Day vacation in Colorado. She underwent a two-hour surgery to repair a compound fracture of the tibia, the large bone between the knee and ankle, and to reconstruct a severed patellar tendon.

Part of her tendon was replaced with that of a cadaver, said Feinstein's press secretary Howard Gantman. The donor was a 22-year-old man from Corpus Christi, Texas, who was killed in a gun accident, he said.

In a written statement, Feinstein said she was ''grateful to the donor and the donor's family. I hope one day to be able to thank the family for this irreplaceable gift.''

Gantman said Feinstein was ''home now and resting,'' following the two-hour surgery. She will undergo three months of physical therapy, Gantman said.