In the Obama-Clinton debate last night, Senator Obama mentioned having supported a Senate bill to create a non-partisan Office of Public Integrity. While it saddens me that such a need even exists in government, it clearly does.
But, what particularly interests me is what Obama did not say, which was that this bill that he supported was sponsored by his Republican rival for president, Senator John McCain.
Now, I can’t say I blame Obama for not mentioning this in the middle of his debate last night with his rival for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008. It does, however, seem quite plausible to me that many Republicans watching the debate who are considering voting across party lines in this election know that McCain was the one who introduced the bill.
I would therefore not be surprised if Obama chose to mention his support of this bill as a message to Republican that he wants them to view him as being more capable of reaching across party lines than Senator Clinton.
