clinton my go "527" on Obama...

[Windy]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120286639798963915.html

As Senator Hillary Clinton fights to keep her head in the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination, she may get a little help from her friends. Just as some conservative groups like Freedom's Watch hope to spend money that tacitly supports Republican efforts to keep the White House, Clinton supporters are contemplating spending money independent of their candidate to help her defeat Sen. Barack Obama.

"At least two sets of Clinton fund-raisers are speaking with lawyers to figure out how to create independent entities to support Mrs. Clinton in Ohio, Texas and other primary contests," write Brody Mullins, John Emshwiller, and Ianthe Jeanne Dugan in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal. "Susie Tompkins Buell, the founder of the Esprit clothing company, says she is deciding whether to start her own entity to fund commercials for Mrs. Clinton, or whether to donate to existing groups, such as abortion-rights group Emily's List, that are already spending money on Mrs. Clinton."

The reporters note that Buell and other Clinton backers may never get started because of the difficulties of campaign finance law. But, they write, it shows that, "wealthy Americans are increasingly funding their own independent political operations to back candidates they support."

Still, Clinton insiders also fear that such operations could give her opponent Barack Obama the opportunity to argue that he is being "swift boated" by the Clinton campaign.