The phony anti lobbiest campaign

Washington Post:

Sen. Barack Obama accused Sen. John McCain on Monday of running a presidential campaign bought and paid for by lobbyists and criticized the presumptive Republican nominee for waiting more than a year to address the conflicts of several key advisers.

During a speech at a high school here, Obama said voters should be concerned that "after nearly three decades in Washington, John McCain can't see or won't acknowledge what's obvious to all of us here today -- that lobbyists aren't just part of the system in Washington, they're part of the problem."

McCain's campaign shot back quickly, challenging Obama to "shed light on the long list of federal lobbyists advising him on policy issues" and accusing him of diverting attention from more serious matters.

"Every moment that Senator Obama spends attacking individual volunteers on our campaign is time he's not using to address issues of real importance in the lives of Americans," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds.

Over the past week, McCain has publicly purged his ranks of several advisers who have lobbied for countries and corporations in an attempt to retain his reputation as a reformer on questions of ethics and influence in Washington. But several former lobbyists, including campaign manager Rick Davis and political strategist Charles R. Black Jr., remain as top advisers.

Obama's attacks on Monday -- and the McCain campaign's fast retort -- underscore how both candidates plan to take aim at K Street lobbyists and the influence they peddle at the White House and in Congress. The two men are essentially competing to be known as the anti-lobbyist candidate.

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They are both blowing smoke, but Obama is inhaling too. He probably has more lobbyist support than he will ever acknowledge. If he does not think all those unions who support him and give him in kind contributions are lobbyist, he is too naive to be President. From the AARP to the veterans groups, there are lobbyist representing the interest of every conceivable group and no matter who is elected, that is not going to change and both will listen to what these people have to say if they are elected. When it comes to standing up them, McCain has much more experience and credibility.