海角大神

You might say President Obama was against "super PAC" fundraising before he was for it.

From the very beginning, Mr. Obama castigated the US Supreme Court鈥檚 decision in Citizens United (read the court鈥檚 opinion, ) less than a week after it was handed down. In his January 2010 State of the Union message, Obama said thus:

"Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests 鈥� including foreign companies 鈥� to spend without limit in our elections. Well, I don鈥檛 think American elections should be bankrolled by America鈥檚 most powerful interests, and worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong."

That ticked Justice Samuel Alito off something fierce 鈥� he was caught mouthing 鈥渘ot true鈥� after the president鈥檚 2010 State of the Union remarks 鈥� and he has joined Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Antonin Scalia in since that time.

So fast-forward to late Monday night, when news broke that Obama, in the words of POLITICO, offered a 鈥渞eluctant blessing鈥� for his campaign to raise money for the main 鈥� but flagging 鈥� Democratic super PAC, "."

(Why do we say flagging? Because Priorities in 2011 versus an astounding for its GOP rival, "American Crossroads," and nearly $18 million for a pro-Romney super PAC. More on Crossroads shortly.)

Well, there鈥檚 no such thing as a 鈥渞eluctant blessing.鈥� Either it鈥檚 blessed or it鈥檚 not.

And the Obama campaign, , has given its blessing to super PAC fundraising 鈥� even if they keep a smattering of fig leaves affixed to a few sensitive spots. To wit:

"Aides said the president had signed off on a plan to dispatch cabinet officials, senior advisers at the White House, and top campaign staff members to deliver speeches on behalf of Mr. Obama at fund-raising events for Priorities USA Action, the leading Democratic 'super PAC'鈥�.

Neither the president, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., nor their wives will attend fund-raising events or solicit donations for the Democratic group. A handful of officials from the administration and the campaign will appear on behalf of Mr. Obama, aides said, but will not directly ask for money."

What鈥檚 the rationale for the turn? Crossroads and Mitt Romney鈥檚 super PAC, "Restore our Future," are on a roll.

After extolling the president鈥檚 willingness to overturn the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision, even his willingness to go so far as a constitutional amendment, Obama鈥檚 campaign manager Jim Messina :

聽"this cycle, our campaign has to face the reality of the law as it currently stands.

Over the last few months, Super PACs affiliated with Republican presidential candidates have spent more than $40 million on television and radio, almost all of it for negative ads.

Last week, filings showed that the Super PAC affiliated with Mitt Romney鈥檚 campaign raised $30 million in 2011 from fewer than 200 contributors, most of them from the financial sector. Governor Romney personally helped raise money for this group, which is run by some of his closest allies.

Meanwhile, other Super PACs established for the sole purpose of defeating the President 鈥� along with 'nonprofits' that also aren鈥檛 required to disclose the sources of their funding 鈥� have raised more than $50 million. In the aggregate, these groups are expected to spend half a billion dollars, above and beyond what the Republican nominee and party are expected to commit to try to defeat the President.

With so much at stake, we can鈥檛 allow for two sets of rules in this election whereby the Republican nominee is the beneficiary of unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm."

Besides calling the Obama campaign鈥檚 decision a 鈥渃ynical course reversal,鈥� Crossroads pointed reporters detailing Obama鈥檚 harsh criticism of super PACs. In short, Obama argues that super PACs are a threat to American democracy as we know it.

"You can鈥檛 let it happen," Obama told thousands of supporters gathered at a school park in a predominantly African-American, working-class neighborhood in northern Philadelphia. "Don鈥檛 let them hijack your agenda. The American people deserve to know who鈥檚 trying to sway their elections, and you can鈥檛 stand by and let the special interests drown out the voices of the American people....

"You don鈥檛 know," he said here. 鈥淚t could be the oil industry, it could be the insurance industry, it could even be foreign-owned corporations. You don鈥檛 know because they don鈥檛 have to disclose. Now that鈥檚 not just a threat to Democrats, that鈥檚 a threat to our democracy."

And while Democrats are trying to get into the game, that more recent New York Times article raises another tough question for the Obama team: After decrying super PACs for so long, will their moneymen (and ladies) rush to prop up Priorities USA?

As a top adviser to George Soros, one of the left鈥檚 wealthiest benefactors, put it:

鈥淚t takes either a very sophisticated or very cynical person to decry the nefarious influence of money on politics and then turn around and write a check for $5 million to influence elections.鈥�

Or even more bitingly, as one top Democratic fundraiser recently told a top Priorities USA official, per : 鈥淚s this what we鈥檝e become?鈥�

鈥�

• What鈥檚 a super PAC? See the Monitor鈥檚 explainer here.
• Love yourself some super PAC that鈥檚 always been a big fan of itself? Check out Stephen Colbert鈥檚/Jon Stewart鈥檚 super PAC .

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