I'm game.

As soon as McCain said that he wouldn't be a "referee" to all the outside 527s, I knew that he gave Obama all the opening he needed to do this.

By the way, of course McCain won't police those 527s - they are his only hope.

Nice move, he shouldn't let go of his funding advantage. The 527 line may be a tough sell though.

Given McCain tried to game the public finance system to secure loans I don't see him having a leg to stand on to attack Obama.

Of course the media will probably run with this in an attempt to smear Obama and paint him as not being an agent of change or some ridiculous crap, but Obama is absolutely right, and he would have been a fool to submit to public financing. Plus, he already got rid of the worst kinds of influence that public financing seeks to remove: PACs and lobbyists. Through his huge grassroots funding apparatus he has already achieved the goals of public financing, he doesn't need any one person or one group to get money, so power belongs to everyone, it is diffused.

If McCain attacks him on this it is going to backfire big time.

Good move. I like the 527 tie in, it totally sings. Good set-up by obama. He took over the dnc, told people not to donate to independent groups and only him and the dnc, so that he could control the message. In the face of this, mcbush says he can't control the 527's or the rnc for that matter and that he will take public financing. It would have been a sick joke if obama took public financing. Obama totally set up mcbush on this one. Game on!

Let's not forget that McCain isn't the innocent lamb in this situation. He agreed to public financing for that loan to keep his campaign afloat, and then opted out.

McCain has already shown himself to be an FEC crook who games the system. Every time the McCain campaign accuses Obama of "breaking his pledge", just point out that you don't make pledges with people who break the laws.

From one concerned citizen of U.S.A,

Dear American Voters, reporters, media. professionals, political parties, and presidential Nominees,

Hon. Senator McCain and Obama, besides each having many attributes and characteristics.
The critical differences between the two of these presidential presumptive nominees in my opinion are as under:

1. Presidential "Temperament and Caliber".
2. Little Washington "insider Versus outsider" experience.
3. "Vision and mission" for our nation future rather than past.
4. American policies, " first U.S.A Centric" than any other country [ ies ] centric.

In my professional opinion Senator Obama leads in all above qualities and attributes.

Senator Obama and his administration along with congress will address all the critical current and future domestic and foreign issues, challenges, and opportunities in coming years.

Let us remember and recite following concepts:

" Family, Friends, Fellows, Faith, Funds, Foundation [s], Fun, with Freedom & Fairness and without Fear, Favor, & Failure" . It applies to every citizen of our Greatgrand Nation.


Please stay involved, stay engaged, and stay informed. Please do not allow any seduction, deception, and or confusion by some partisan media and leaders effect your vote [ Psychological Terrorism ]..

Yours truly,

COL. [retd] A.M.Khajawall
Disabled American Veteran
Forensic psychiatrist, Las Vegas

PS: Please talk about the " Presidential Temperament And Caliber " of our presumptive presidential Nominees. We do talk about the "Judicial Temperament" of our Supreme Court Justices nominees and so far we have failed to talk about the " Presidential Temperament " of our presumptive presidential nominees. The " Presidential Temperament " is the ultimate and in my opinion only requirement of our president as that effects every living soul here and around the world.

Thanks again.

It should be obvious to anyone with that Barack Obama simply does not want to make the government borrow another $80 million from China, when he can raise money in the good old USA.

This man is a patriot through and through.

Senator John McCain(R-Airbus), is another story. Not only is he in favor of borrowing billions upon billion of dollars from China, he wants to give that money to the French for an obviously inferior tanker airplane. Or, as his generation calls it, "flying machine".

Why does John McCain love France, and hate America?

Obama should have pledged to spend $80M vs McCain and the rest will to to defend against "Swift Boating" smears that John McCain has said himself that he cannot control and has no plans to try and referee.

I think it's utter silliness to believe that 527's/PAC's don't coordinate with the campaigns. How can you really police that? Karl Rove is an unpaid, unofficial advisor to McCain's campaign so admittedly gives advice and is in contact with the McCain Camp, however gets paid six figures working for a PAC.

McCain wanted to try and bully Obama into accepting public money and then bury him with unlimited "swift boat" attack ads. It was likely something the GOP had been planning for awhile as they seem to have much better organized 527 attack ad groups than the left (other than MoveOn.org)

just contributed

Sent $ on Monday after Big Al endorsed him :)

Donated as soon as we heard the news. We follow the campaign, only give $200 at at time (we're old codgers with fixed income), but always manage to squeeze out more $$ when it looks like the campaign needs a boost.

I do believe the small donors will put the campaign over the top even though things are tough right now with +$4.00 gas and food costs increasing. We are the ones who have everything to lose if Obama loses.

And just one more time: Republicans are not conservatives, they are neo-conservatives -- arrogant purveyors of their special world view.

also, i just love the fact that obama made the announcement via youtube.

suck on that, networks and cable.

i admit, initially i was very skeptical of obama's gooeyness and his can't we all get along framing; but i've been mightily impressed with how his campaign has developed and continues to grow into a very serious and effective operation. fast responses to smears and in language that's very clear.

Just like how John McCain opted in then out of public financing to get him through the primaries?? hmmm.... at least Obama never actually opted in. he said he would CONSIDER it. However, John McCain has done NOTHING to show he would work in good faith if they both took public financing. McCain is all but begging the Republican attack dogs to be let loose, while Obama has heavily urged his supporters to NOT support 527 attack groups.

Did I mention McCain adviser Karl Rove runs a 527? hmmm....

The thing is, Obama's campaign does get public financing, with more than 2.5 million members of the public financing it so far.

The only difference is that with Obama's financing there's no government involvement.

Gee, you'd think the Republicans would like that: privatized public financing!

Obama is a opportunistic hypocrite.

BRAVO!!!!
BRAVO!!!!
BRAVO!!!!

OK, everyone, use some or all of your "stimulus package" refund to make a donation. In your face Cheney!! Spend your money on Obama, not oil!!

He should just say that McCain has already shown during the primary that he won't respect public financing rules.

Republicans always play to win. They never ever give the slightest advantage to their opponents out of fairness. We'd be stupid to do it ourselves.

As you hear the GOP blast this move by Obama over the next week or two, take a good close look. Under all that "anger" they're expressing, you'll see what's really got them worked up: Fear. Fear of all that $$$$$$ in Obama's tank.

Let's donate some more!

BARACK IS QUIENTLY TELLING THE IRAQIS'S THAT HE HAS NO INTENTION ON GETTING US OUT IN 16 MONTHS.

this is wayY to unbelievable. not only has OBAMA lied to the country when he said one thing to us and another to canada regarding NAFTA, he is now discretely telling the IRAQ foreign ministry he has no plans to remove US troops in 16 months and that this is just camapaign rhethoric. Now, add the fact that he has also just announced he lied to the american public regarding taking public financing over private and you can better believe what i have been saying all along is that OBAMA is a snake oil salesman and you folks have been taken.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=&vid=fe86c872-82f5-4525-afc7-e85d3ca13bd5

Oh big talk for someone that doesn't seem to care if the FISA bill pass or not.

Obama's campaign money is going to flat-line the moment that FISA bill gets passed. You ask me, I'd say the whole Democrat ticket is hangs by a thread right now.

Either Obama puts his actions where his mouth is or he doesn't, BUT there are no two-ways about it. Either stand-up or shut-up.