Obama breaks pledge, will run his campaign on dirty money

Obama to Reject Public Funds for Election
Shailagh Murray and Perry Bacon Jr. | Washington Post | 06.20.2008

Sen. Barack Obama reversed his pledge to seek public financing in the general election yesterday, a move that drew criticism from adversaries and allies alike but could provide him with a significant spending advantage over Republican rival John McCain.

Obama will become the first major-party presidential nominee to reject the public funds, passing up nearly $85 million in taxpayer money and instead looking to the 1.5 million donors who contributed to his primary campaign. Given his groundbreaking success in raising money in the Democratic primaries, estimates of how much he could collect for the general-election run to $300 million or more, a sum that would allow the senator from Illinois to compete even in traditionally Republican states.

"It's not an easy decision, and especially because I support a robust system of public financing of elections," Obama said in a video message to supporters, circulated yesterday morning by his campaign. "But the public financing of presidential elections as it exists today is broken, and we face opponents who've become masters at gaming this broken system."

The announcement came as Obama's national finance committee was preparing to meet in Chicago, and on the same day he launched his first television ad of the general election.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/19/AR2008061900914_pf.html