McCain And Obama Argue Over Financing

Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama have been arguing back and forth since Friday about campaign financing. In terms of financing Obama has certainly raised more money from the public. Public financing is what McCain wants to hold Obama to if he is the nominee of the Democratic Party. McCain has all but been declared the Republican nominee, which will almost certainly happen at some point.

Senators Barack Obama and John McCain tussled directly Friday over how they will pay for their campaigns, with Mr. McCain challenging Mr. Obama to abide by his earlier pledge to use public financing for his general election if Mr. McCain does so as well.

The squabbling marked the first time the two have directly confronted each other on the issue, which revolves around Mr. Obama’s February 2007 pledge to accept public financing — and the spending limits that accompany it — if he went on to the general election and his Republican counterpart likewise accepted public financing.

But since then, the Obama campaign, which has developed the most formidable fund-raising operation of all the campaigns this year, has yet to recommit to that pledge, providing the McCain campaign with an opening for attack.

“It was very clear to me that Senator Obama had agreed to having public financing of the general election campaign if I did the same thing,” Mr. McCain said after a town-hall-style meeting here. “I made the commitment to the American people that if I was the nominee of my party, I would go the route of public financing. I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well.”

Asked if he would use public financing even if Mr. Obama did not, Mr. McCain said: “If Senator Obama goes back on his commitment to the American people, then obviously we have to rethink our position. Our whole agreement was 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.”

Mr. Obama did not rule out the possibility of accepting public financing, but declared on Friday, “I’m not the nominee yet.”

“If I am the nominee,” Mr. Obama told reporters at a news conference in Milwaukee, “I will make sure our people talk to John McCain’s people to find out if we are willing to abide by the same rules and regulations with respect to the general election going forward. It would be presumptuous of me to start saying now that I am locking into something when I don’t even know if the other side will agree to it.”

Last year, Mr. Obama sought an advisory ruling from the Federal Election Commission to see whether his campaign could opt out of public financing in the primary season and accept it in the general election. It was merely an inquiry, he said, not a pledge to accept the financing.

Candidates who accept public financing are eligible for about $85 million paid for by a $3 checkoff on tax return forms, according to The Associated Press.