Does anyone really believe Obama about why he isn't taking federal money?

And allow me to knock down the straw man argument thrown up by Obama supporters that conservatives shouldn't complain because we don't support federal financing of campaigns.

You are correct. We conservatives abhor government involvement in campaigns. What we abhor more and what Obama supporters don't seem to mind is the lying weasel of a politician Obama is proving himself to be by not telling the truth about why he is not taking federal money for his campaign.

The reason is simple, straightforward and so ridiculously transparent that only an Obama supporter so enamored of their candidate's messiah-like goodness can fail to see it; he can raise 3 times as much money as McCain and the Republicans by eschewing federal financing.

Then why in God's name doesn't he say so?

"Our opponents are dedicated to manipulating this broken system to raise as much money as possible -- and they've proven they are very good at it," Obama's site declares. No mention that Obama's been pretty good at it himself, raising $295 million to John McCain's $122 million. "To compete" -- as if he wouldn't be competitive otherwise -- "Barack has decided to keep putting his faith in ordinary people like you giving only what you can afford."

Ordinary people, that is, if your definition of ordinary people includes bundlers who can collect six- and even seven-figure sums for your campaign. Because even as he was rhapsodizing in public about "the grass-roots values that have already changed our politics and brought us this far," Obama was privately cozying up to Hillary Clinton's major fundraisers.

Earlier this month, he dispatched his campaign manager, David Plouffe, to woo Clinton bundlers in Washington and New York. This week, Clinton will introduce Obama to nearly 200 of her major bundlers, including some who have raised $1 million or more, in a meeting at the Mayflower Hotel.

"This group could represent 50 million, if not 100 million, bucks," said one top Clinton strategist.