I would say the story here is still a quid pro quo issue. Was McCain receving money while still being publically against off-shore drilling or did he have a change of heart after he started receiving oil company money? My guess is the latter.

Signed into law by President Bush on Sept. 14, 2007:

S. 1: Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007

SEC. 204. DISCLOSURE OF BUNDLED CONTRIBUTIONS.

(a) Disclosure- Section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(i) Disclosure of Bundled Contributions-

`(1) REQUIRED DISCLOSURE- Each committee described in paragraph (6) shall include in the first report required to be filed under this section after each covered period (as defined in paragraph (2)) a separate schedule setting forth the name, address, and employer of each person reasonably known by the committee to be a person described in paragraph (7) who provided 2 or more bundled contributions to the committee in an aggregate amount greater than the applicable threshold (as defined in paragraph (3)) during the covered period, and the aggregate amount of the bundled contributions provided by each such person during the covered period.

`(2) COVERED PERIOD- In this subsection, a `covered period' means, with respect to a committee--

`(A) the period beginning January 1 and ending June 30 of each year;

`(B) the period beginning July 1 and ending December 31 of each year; and

`(C) any reporting period applicable to the committee under this section during which any person described in paragraph (7) provided 2 or more bundled contributions to the committee in an aggregate amount greater than the applicable threshold.

`(3) APPLICABLE THRESHOLD-

`(A) IN GENERAL- In this subsection, the `applicable threshold' is $15,000, except that in determining whether the amount of bundled contributions provided to a committee by a person described in paragraph (7) exceeds the applicable threshold, there shall be excluded any contribution made to the committee by the person or the person's spouse.

`(B) INDEXING- In any calendar year after 2007, section 315(c)(1)(B) shall apply to the amount applicable under subparagraph (A)in the same manner as such section applies to the limitations established under subsections (a)(1)(A), (a)(1)(B), (a)(3), and (h) of such section, except that for purposes of applying such section to the amount applicable under subparagraph (A), the `base period' shall be 2006.

`(4) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY- The Commission shall ensure that, to the greatest extent practicable--

`(A) information required to be disclosed under this subsection is publicly available through the Commission website in a manner that is searchable, sortable, and downloadable; and

`(B) the Commission's public database containing information disclosed under this subsection is linked electronically to the websites maintained by the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives containing information filed pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.

`(5) REGULATIONS- Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, the Commission shall promulgate regulations to implement this subsection. Under such regulations, the Commission--

`(A) may, notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), provide for quarterly filing of the schedule described in paragraph (1) by a committee which files reports under this section more frequently than on a quarterly basis;

`(B) shall provide guidance to committees with respect to whether a person is reasonably known bya committee to be a person described in paragraph (7), which shall include a requirement that committees consult the websites maintained by the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives containing information filed pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995;

`(C) may not exempt the activity of a person described in paragraph (7) from disclosure under this subsection on the grounds that the person is authorized to engage in fundraising for the committee or any other similar grounds; and

`(D) shall provide for the broadest possible disclosure of activities described in this subsection by persons described in paragraph (7) that is consistent with this subsection.

`(6) COMMITTEES DESCRIBED- A committee described in this paragraph is an authorized committee ofa candidate, a leadership PAC, or a political party committee.

`(7) PERSONS DESCRIBED- A person described in this paragraph is any person, who, at the time a contribution is forwarded to a committee as described in paragraph (8)(A)(i) or is received by a committee as described in paragraph (8)(A)(ii), is--

`(A) a current registrant under section 4(a) of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995;

`(B) an individual who is listed on a current registration filed under section 4(b)(6) of such Act or a current report under section 5(b)(2)(C) of such Act; or

`(C) a political committee established or controlled by such a registrant or individual.

`(8) DEFINITIONS- For purposes of this subsection, the following definitions apply:

`(A) BUNDLED CONTRIBUTION- The term `bundled contribution' means, with respect to a committee described in paragraph (6) and a person described in paragraph (7), a contribution (subject to the applicable threshold) which is--

`(i) forwarded from the contributor or contributors to the committee by the person; or

`(ii) received by the committee from a contributor or contributors, but credited by the committee or candidate involved (or, in the case of a leadership PAC, by the individual referred to in subparagraph (B) involved) to the person through records, designations, or other means of recognizing that a certain amount of money has been raised by the person.

`(B) LEADERSHIP PAC- The term `leadership PAC' means, with respect to a candidate for election to Federal office or an individual holding Federal office, a political committee that is directly or indirectly established, financed, maintained or controlled by the candidate or the individual but which is not an authorized committee of the candidate or individual and which is not affiliated with an authorized committee of the candidate or individual, except that such term does not include a political committee of a political party.'.

(b) Effective Date- The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to reports filed under section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act after the expiration of the 3-month period which begins on the date that the regulations required to be promulgated by the Federal Election Commission under section 304(i)(5) of such Act (as added by subsection (a)) become final.

How much of that $285,000 was in the form of collectible Hess Trucks?

And I suppose that the $4 million Obama was gifted on his birthday, including some $28,500 contributions, was just from a bunch of altruistic do-gooders.

They're both politicians. They both take money from big contributors linked to big business. Get over it.

Obama just comes off as the petulant, erudite whiner that he is. McCain has not survived this long on the national stage by being the idiot Obamites make him out to be.

Major Dems thought this election was guaranteed. They are getting very nervous and rightly so.

On June 10, Republican congressmen succeeded in killing the Windfall Tax and blocking a proposal that would extend tax breaks that have either expired or are scheduled to end this year for wind, solar and other alternative energy development, and for the promotion of energy efficiency and conservation.

The same day the Hess delivered the money to the GOP for a job well done.

Its just as likely that the Hess money to the GOP was a reward for their obstruction and filibuster threats. ie. keep obstructing and we'll keep the money flowing.

I guess we'll have trolls all over this story today today, Greg! Kudos for a job well done Sir!

This is just how the GOP does business and the Hess folks just delivered to them in a spirit of supporting of cause they like...OIL!

Um, okay. If I'm reading the above bill correctly, shouldn't someone in the McCain Camp (ie from the bill an "authorized committee of a candidate" have reported the Hess Corporation as bundlers?`Did they? Any way to check this using public records, FEC website, etc.?

I'm assuming since most of bundling occurred in June that this would apply from the bill. The bill states that reports are due after one of two periods in a given year. Jun falls into: "(A) the period beginning January 1 and ending June 30 of each year;"

If so, and no one from the McCain camp did, then what the they and Hess did is illegal, right?
Legal eagles, help me here.

IMO, this still looks bad for McCain. A free days before he flipped on off-shore drilling, McCain received a huge chunk of money from oilmen. Then after McCain agreed to off-shore drilling, he received even MORE money.

It still smells funny and its great that Obama and the Dems are exploiting this.

People will still see McCain as in the "pocket" of big oil just like George Bush.

McCain=Bush=Big Oil

Repeat
Repeat
Repeat

It is customary when hiring a contractor to do a job for you that you pay him 50% up front. He gets the rest when the job is done. This is no different.

Obama is NOT saying that McCain received "bribes" from big oil and that is why he flipped. Instead Obama is saying that now that he has flipped he is beholden to big oil just like George Bush which they have rewarded him after the fact.

Sticking to that mem as McCain=Bush=Big Oil undercuts McCain because it looks like McCain is wanting to "drill here, drill now" because he is beholdent to big oil rather than just because he wants to help people.

It's also another way of saying that McCain is Bush's third term.

so... does anyone actually believe this is news/

Both candidates are doing whatever it takes (flip-flop, cozy up to money people, receive funds from scoundrels, play with the truth, etc.) to get elected, as are almost all other politicians runing for offices. This is what has been working more and more these past thirty or so years.

We are at the end of our nation as a viable democracy and are apparently intent on voting liars and thieves into office... at ANY cost. The only requirement is that it is OUR crook, not THEIRS.

Just remember, folks... if they are playing these games BEFORE getting all that power, they will undoubtedly INCREASE this behavior after they have gotten elected.

We need to get BOTH parties out of office, if we want our children and grandchildren to inherit a democracy they can be proud of...

The alternative is a system where the only folks paying any penalties fat all are the commoners... IMHO

So things Obama says at fundraisers makes it into the public domain. What about McCain? Sure would be nice if someone released a tape of his remarks. Maybe that's the difference between Republicans and Democrats: They don't snitch.

The story may even be stronger with the fundraiser taking place ahead of time. Bush had already called for offshore drilling. Hess give bigs bucks to both McCain and the RNC. McCain takes note. McCain changes position. Whenever a company can show that kind of fundraising clout there is always the prospect of more coming later. That's how the system works.

Tena- do I owe you consultant fees? :)