So it's almost Super Tuesday and the New York Times has decided to begin to vet Barack Obama. What on earth possesses them? Weren't they planning to wait until the corporate media darling is all cozy and settled into the White House?
Mr. Obama had told Iowa voters that the legislation had passed."
Mr. Obama scolded Exelon and federal regulators for inaction and introduced a bill to require all plant owners to notify state and local authorities immediately of even small leaks. He has boasted of it on the campaign trail, telling a crowd in Iowa in December that it was “the only nuclear legislation that I’ve passed.”
“I just did that last year,” he said, to murmurs of approval. . .
[C]ontrary to Mr. Obama’s comments in Iowa, it ultimately died amid parliamentary wrangling in the full Senate. . . Since 2003, executives and employees of Exelon, which is based in Illinois, have contributed at least $227,000 to Mr. Obama’s campaigns for the United States Senate and for president. Two top Exelon officials, Frank M. Clark, executive vice president, and John W. Rogers Jr., a director, are among his largest fund-raisers. . . In addition, Mr. Obama’s chief political strategist, David Axelrod, has worked as a consultant to Exelon.
In interviews over the past two weeks, Obama aides insisted that the revisions did not substantively alter the bill. In fact, it was left drastically different. . . read more
Update: eriposte at Left Coaster: This is exactly what I mean when I say I simply don't trust Sen. Obama's rhetoric. He repeatedly claims that he has strongly progressive positions and that his vaunted bipartisanship and appeals to unity will allow him to get progressive legislation through Congress. But time and again, his strong desire for bipartisanship has led to one thing only - Bills that Senate Republicans were comfortable with.
Nuclear Leaks Barack Obama News Democratic Primary Exelon Corporation Illinois Politics David Axelrod Vetting Obama Corporate Media
