McCain Scolds Obama on Campaign Funds
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — Republican Sen. John McCain admonished Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for hedging on his promise to accept public funding if he wins his party's nomination or use his prolific fundraising operation.
"I made the commitment to the American people that if I were the nominee of my party, I would accept public financing," the likely GOP presidential nominee said Friday in Oshkosh, Wis. "I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well. This is all about a commitment that we made to the American people.
"I am going to keep my commitment," he said. "The American people have every reason to expect him to keep his commitment."
Obama spokesman Bill Burton on Thursday called public financing "an option that we wanted on the table," but said "there is no pledge" to take the money and the spending limitations that come with it.
Obama told reporters on Friday that it would be "presumptuous of me to say now that I'm locking myself into something when I don't even know if the other side is going to agree to it."
McCain said that if Obama becomes the nominee and decides against taking public money, he might do the same.
"If Senator Obama goes back on his commitment to the American people, then obviously we'd have to rethink our position," McCain said. "Our whole agreement was that we would take public financing if he made that commitment as well. And he signed a piece of paper, I'm told, that made that commitment."
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they are both going to fold and take private financing, it's just a question of who folds first.
I have wondered if this "down to the wire" dem primary campaign would sap their donor base of funds that would be required in the general.
