Oil barons for Obama?

Barack Obama is under fire from the Clinton camp after running ads claiming his money doesn't take money from oil companies. That's not true, says Clinton's chief spin doctor: "Senator Obama says he doesn’t take campaign contributions from oil companies, but the reality is that Exxon Mobil, Shell, and others are among his donors." I've posted some thoughts at Political Climate:

In fact, the Clinton camp is talking baloney. Neither candidate has taken cash directly from oil companies, since it’s illegal for corporations to contribute to federal political campaigns; and unlike Clinton, Obama has made a point of refusing money from industry lobbyists and company-backed political committees. On the other hand, both candidates have taken cash from individuals employed by oil companies: Obama has netted about $160,000, while Clinton has raked in about $290,000. That’s an important distinction; with most of Obama’s donations weighing in at $250 or less, the money is as likely to have come from blue-collar workers as from oil executives hoping to buy influence.

But while the oil-ad controversy may be manufactured, it’s a reminder of an important point: Campaign financing is a filthy business, and neither candidate has kept their hands entirely clean. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination - and whoever ultimately wins the White House - will have done so by begging favors from a swathe of special interest groups, many of them directly opposed to the candidate’s positions on a wide range of hot-button environmental issues.

Read the rest here.