[Originally published at The Democratic Daily]
While using different language, Barrack Obama accused the Edwards Campaign of a felony when a former campaign official with an independent 527 was found to be readying $796,000 in media time buys.
"John said yesterday, he didn't believe in these 527s. Those are these independent groups that raise money with no disclosure, nobody knows who is giving them. He said, 'I don't believe in them,'" said Obama. "We found out today there's a group buying three-quarters of a million dollars worth of television and the individual running the group used to be John Edwards' campaign manager."
Obama used the occasion to suggest that Edwards is guilty of hypocrisy.
"You can't say yesterday, you don't believe in it and today three-quarters of a million dollars is being spent for you," said Obama. "You can't just talk the talk. Everybody talks change, but how did they act when it was not convenient, when it's hard."
Only one problem with the entire Obama scenario: 527's and other similar entities are forbidden to coordinate their activities with any campaign. Any campaign official working with an 'independent' 527 would be guilty of a felony. That person and the campaign, if it was known, would be crooks.
Any person will actually translate the polispeak of the Obama accusation of 'hypocrisy' to: "John Edwards is coordinating activities with the 527. The Edwards campaign is guilty of a felony."
So why doesn't Obama use the real language, the real words, he's implying? If he wants to call Edwards a crook and then provide proof of the coordination, he would be doing all of us a favor. For Obama to accuse Edwards of illegal actions with an organization that Edwards can't control is, itself, the height of hypocrisy.
It's time for the Obama campaign to put up the proof of coordination or shut up.
[I am not a supporter of, nor have I endorsed, any candidate.I will,unfortunately, be offline for the next couple of hours. I will get back as soon as possible.]