McCain tangles with Obama over campaign money

[onehandle]

Source: Reuters

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner John McCain accused Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday of rolling back on a pledge to limit himself to public money in November's presidential election.

Obama is raising as much as $1 million day, generating a big money advantage over both McCain and Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton in what is expected to be the costliest U.S. presidential election ever.

Obama, an Illinois senator, pledged in February last year to accept public financing and its accompanying spending limit of an estimated $85 million in the general election race if he wins the nomination and his Republican opponent agreed to limits too.

"I committed to public financing," McCain told a news conference. "He committed to public financing. It is not more complicated than that ... I'll keep my word. I want him to keep his."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080220/ts_nm/usa_politics_mccain_financing_dc

[TwilightGardener]

1. Hah! Good stuff, in light of what's breaking.

[truthisfreedom]

2. McCain is seriously screwing this up. He's actually blinking, hinting that he'll have to

rely on donations if he thinks Obama plans to do the same.

What a bone-headed thing to do! McCain knows he'll need more money than god to win against Obama... and he also knows that Obama can probably out-raise him all the way to the bloody end.

[seriousstan]

3. Did Obama actually pledge to do this? That is what is important.

If he did, he should keep his word. If it is not, he should call McCain on the lie.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. He said he would consider it..

He didn't pledge on it. He said he would discuss it with the Rethug nominee and discuss how GE should be set - either by public financing or private....

My guess is that McCain will break his own laws and go private as well.

[Megahurtz]

5. McCain having a fit LOL!

[Justitia]

6. McCain is also, apparently, "tangling" with a tarty lobbyist. -eom

[bhikkhu]

7. McCain has $150 mil in the bag, by way of a 527 org

dedicated to the repug campaign. So he would be overjoyed if he could get Obama to limit himself to $85 mil.

McCain's "word" and "straight-talk" in this case are followed by an off-the-air chuckle and high-five. Who's buying this angle?

[Winterblues]

8. So is Obama breaking his Pledge?

Is it all a LIE and if that is the case then it should be easy to prove.