Cross-posted from SoapBlox/Chicago
Update: Obama now has all three letters up on his website.
Matt Stoller has a couple of great tidbits up at MyDD regarding Obama and McCain and their different ideas of what reform actually means.
John 'I Need Anger Management Therapy' McCain Savages Barack Obama and Obama: No Flamewars in the Senate, Please
The background is that Obama and McCain met last week to discuss bipartisan ethics reform. After the meeting, which by all accounts went amicably, Obama
sent McCain a letter saying:
I know you have expressed an interest in creating a task force to further study and discuss these matters, but I and others in the Democratic Caucus believe the more effective and timely course is to allow the committees of jurisdiction to roll up their sleeves and get to work on writing ethics and lobbying reform legislation that a majority of the Senate can support. Committee consideration of these matters through the normal course will ensure that these issues are discussed in a public forum and that those within Congress, as well as those on the outside cand express their views, ensuring a thorough review of this matter.
Innocuous? Possibility. Reasonable? Certainly.
McCain's response:
I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere.
...
But I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party's effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman Senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness. Again, I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn't always a priority for every one of us. Good luck to you, Senator.
Obama has responded to the "confusing" and "head-scratching" letter with a "puzzled" response:
...I am puzzled by your response to my recent letter. Last Wednesday morning, you called to invite me to your meeting that afternoon. I changed my schedule so I could attend the meeting. Afterwards, you thanked me several times for attending the meeting, and we left pledging to work together.
As you will recall, I told everyone present at the meeting that my caucus insisted that the consideration of any ethics reform proposal go through the regular committee process. You didn't indicate any opposition to this position at the time, and I wrote the letter to reiterate this point, as well as the fact that I thought S. 2180 should be the basis for a bipartisan solution.
I confess that I have no idea what has prompted your response.
Matt Stoller writes that "McCain's response is one of the single most bitter, nasty letters I have ever seen from any Senator. It's rather remarkable, actually, and gives the lie to the notion that McCain is of a bipartisan mind."
Atrios' take is that "The real subtext of this story is that McCain wants an opportunity to preen in front of the cameras and an adoring media as he waxes nonsensically about 'reform' for months as we head into the presidential primary season. Oh, and that McCain is pretty much an asshole."
Jeff Zeleny of the Chicago Tribune is apparently at work on a story for tomorrow's paper.
Oh and lest anyone forget McCain's true bonafides (NY Times on Newsweek via MyDD):
Some the president's top fund-raisers are signing up to help Sen. John McCain, who fought a bitter primary fight against Bush in 2000.
Even some of Bush's "pioneers," who raised $100,000 or more for his campaign, are getting on board McCain's "Straight Talk Express," according to today's Newsweek magazine.