Obama Broke Finance Pledge to Run "Fair" Campaign

During the Democratic primary debate in Cleveland, Ohio, in February, Barack Obama pledged to meet with John McCain to work out a campaign funding agreement "that is fair for both sides."

Amid the latest allegations of a large number of unregulated "back-end" contributions to the Obama campaign, it's useful to recall the nominee's own words (from the transcript):

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Obama, let me ask you about motivating, inspiring, keeping your word. Nothing more important. Last year you said if you were the nominee you would opt for public financing in the general election of the campaign; try to get some of the money out. You checked "Yes" on a questionnaire. And now Senator McCain has said, calling your bluff, let's do it. You seem to be waffling, saying, well, if we can work on an arrangement here.

Why won't you keep your word in writing that you made to abide by public financing of the fall election?

SEN. OBAMA: Tim, I am not yet the nominee. Now, what I've said is, is that when I am the nominee, if I am the nominee - because we've still got a bunch of contests left and Senator Clinton's a pretty tough opponent. If I am the nominee, then I will sit down with John McCain and make sure that we have a system that is fair for both sides, because Tim, as you know, there are all sorts of ways of getting around these loopholes....

MR. RUSSERT: So you may opt out of public financing. You may break your word.

SEN. OBAMA: What I - what I have said is, at the point where I'm the nominee, at the point where it's appropriate, I will sit down with John McCain and make sure that we have a system that works for everybody.

The debate video is here.

Barack Obama has not "sat down with John McCain" to make sure the system's working for everybody.

Meanwhile, online investigations now show that the Obama campaign has refused to accept the automatic online address verification system set up by Master Card for online transactions, which is available at no extra charge to the customer.

That is, Obama has explicity set up a HIGHER FEE-PER-TRANSACTION STRUCTURE in order to avoid collecting online address verification information necessary to comply with federal campaign finance reporting requirments.

Change we can believe in?