John McCain claims to be the champion of campaign finance reform. That's why his attempt to scam the campaign finance laws is an even more important story. The DNC filed its FEC complaint against McCain this morning. Violating the FEC's campaign spending limits could result in criminal penalties.
The right wingers never liked campaign finance anyway -- and it's one of the reasons so many conservatives disliked McCain. So it must be bittersweet for them that McCain has boxed himself into a corner on campaign finance. Even the conservative National Review has clued into McCain's "potential headache from the FEC":
The key graphs of the New York Sun's eye-opening story on John McCain potentially running into trouble with the FEC:
The case could have far-reaching implications for the fall campaign. A decision that forces Mr. McCain to remain in the public financing system for the primary or that finds him in violation of federal law could severely limit the amount of money he could spend in the six months leading up to the Republican nominating convention in late summer. The restriction would have the effect of giving the Democratic nominee a spending head start equal to tens of millions of dollars.
The situation is complicated by the current state of the FEC. Squabbling over presidential nominees between the Bush administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress has four of the six seats on the commission vacant. The panel therefore lacks the four commissioners required for a quorum and cannot rule definitively either on Mr. McCain's attempt to withdraw from the system or on the forthcoming DNC complaint against him.
McCain has no more cred on campaign finance. None.
