Barack Obama: He Was For Public Financing Before He Was Against It

After signing his name to a pledge promising to accept public financing for the general elections, Barack Obama's having second thoughts.

[I]n response to a questionnaire in November from the Midwest Democracy Network, a group of nonpartisan government oversight groups, Obama said: "Senator John McCain has already pledged to accept this fundraising pledge. If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election."

That was then. This is now.

Obama told reporters on Friday that it would be "presumptuous of me to say now that I'm locking myself into something when I don't even know if the other side is going to agree to it."

The problem for Obama is that McCain has already said that he's going to accept public financing.

"I made the commitment to the American people that if I were the nominee of my party, I would accept public financing," the likely GOP presidential nominee said Friday in Oshkosh, Wis. "I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well. This is all about a commitment that we made to the American people.

"I am going to keep my commitment," he said. "The American people have every reason to expect him to keep his commitment."

Raking in $32 million in a month might be the explanation. Apparently, Obama's honor has a price.