John McCain today said he was “entertained” that Barack Obama is flirting with the idea of opting out of public financing should he win the Democratic nomination. “He didn’t talk about having discussions about third parties and all that when he committed to saying that he would take public financing if the Republican nominee did. I am the presumptive Republican nominee. I will take public financing. Keep your word to the American people. He’s always talking in his speeches about how we need to keep our word to the American people. Please keep your word to the American people on the commitment you made in writing,” McCain said forcefully, adding later that Obama had flip-flopped on the issue.

McCain was referring to the pledge the two candidates signed and submitted to the Federal Elections Commission last March, that would limit their funds to $85 million as general election candidates. But at a fundraiser the Tuesday night in Washington, DC, Obama referred to a “parallel public financing system” and called the current system “creaky” today at a press avail.

If Obama continues his record shattering fundraising prowess, McCain would face a huge financial handicap in the general election, which is why should Obama go forward and reject public funds, McCain admitted he would have to examine his options. “It is possible that I still will [accept public funds] and it’s possible that I won’t.” How will he decide? “Actually, a little straight talk, how we most benefit. I mean, you know, really how it is most beneficial to us,” McCain told reporters today.

Watch some of his comments from his Dallas press conference here:

When asked if he agreed with Obama’s assessment that the current system is “creaky” and needs to be reformed, McCain shot back, “I have a record on reform, Senator Obama has rhetoric on reform. But I think it needs further reform and I’d be glad to join him in efforts to reform, but that doesn’t change the fact that he committed, a year ago, to public financing if I would.”

 According to an article in today’s Detroit Free Press, the Obama campaign nixed a Michigan do-over - in what’s been called a “firehouse primary.”

[If you recall, Senator Obama signed a pledge not to campaign in Michigan when the state moved its primary earlier than the Democratic National Committee permitted. As a result, the DNC stripped the state of its 156 delegates and rendered the primary moot. The name Barack Obama did not appear on the ballot, and Senator Clinton walked away with 55% of the vote. Clinton has expressed interest of seating the delegates at this summer's Democratic Convention, but the Obama campaign has maintained this is unfair for obvious reasons. The issue has yet to be resolved, as is the case with the Florida primary results.]

On a conference call today, Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe said the report that indicated the campaign would not go for the revote was “not accurate.”

“What we have said we have abided by the DNC rules to this date and we’ll continue to abide by them. If there is a remedy that the DNC and state parties agree to, that meets the rules, we will abide by those. We do not think it’s the place of the two campaigns where we’re in heated contest here, to negotiate this,” he explained.

Plouffe also noted that Hillary Clinton has been “changing the rules midstream” by agreeing to the DNC pledge that the delegates would not count and then seeking to get the delegates seated. This, Plouffe said, “is the kind of politics people are tired of.” He continued, “We’re not going to pick and choose what kind of contest is  appropriate to us. We would like resolution to this and we would like resolution to this quickly. I think everybody would, so that we have some certainty what the nomination fight is going to look like.”

Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has declared victory in Wyoming, where they netted two pledged delegates. This isn’t a huge coup, but as Plouffe noted, ” is a third of her net from those big contests on March 4th.” The Obama campaign has estimated Clinton netted six delegates from her wins in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island.

Houston, TX — One day ahead of receiving the endorsement of former President George H.W. Bush, Sen. John McCain issued the same tax pledge that made “41″ famous.

“No new taxes,” McCain told George Stephenopoulos on ABC’s “This Week”on Sunday, when asked if he was a “‘read my lips’ candidate.” Bush Sr. uttered the famous phrase, “Read my lips, no new taxes,” at the 1988 Republican National Convention, but was forced to raise taxes during his term as part of a budget compromise with Democrats.

McCain’s latest statement comes after the Arizona Senator spent months refusing to sign a similar pledge distributed by Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform. McCain voted against the current President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts but now wants to make the cuts permanent and is seeking to mollify conservatives who distrust him because of his previous votes.

The “This Week: Transcript:

• STEPHANOPOULOS: So on taxes, are you a “read my lips” candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?
• MCCAIN: No new taxes I do not — in fact, I could see an argument if our economy continues to deteriorate for lower interest rates, lower tax rates and certainly decreasing corporate tax rates, which are the second-highest in the world, giving people the ability to write off depreciation in a year, elimination of the AMT. There’s a lot of things that I would think we should to relieve that burden, including, obviously, as we all know, simplification of the tax code.
• STEPHANOPOULOS: But under no circumstances would you increase taxes?
• MCCAIN: No.

—-

McCain said something similar to Fox News Sunday in April but would not take a “pledge:”

• CHRIS WALLACE: So…
• J. MCCAIN: So.
• WALLACE: … President McCain, no new taxes.
• J. MCCAIN: Of course not. I’ve never supported tax increases. I don’t support them now.
• WALLACE: And that’s a pledge that you would make over your four years.
• J. MCCAIN: I don’t take pledges. The fact is my record is very clear of opposition to tax increases. I oppose tax increases. I don’t take pledges.

The Obama campaign released a new ad today, airing nationally on CNN and MSNBC - pretty innocuous except that it will hit airwaves in Florida (as well as 49 other states). Because Democrats signed a pledge sponsored by the DNC promising they would not campaign in the Sunshine State after Florida pushed its primary up against the DNC’s wishes. The state was stripped of delegates and Democrats vowed not to campaign there.The Clinton campaign picked up on the Obama ad and pounced, saying on a conference call this was a violation of the pledge and that Clinton would now consider campaigning in Florida in retaliation.

“Both national cable networks told us it would be impossible for us to run advertising nationally that excluded only Florida.  For that reason we consulted with the South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler who told us unequivocally she did not consider this to be in violation of pledge made to the early states,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in response.

The Obama campaign then arranged its own conference call with campaign manager, David Plouffe, who said he believes the Clinton campaign has been looking for a way to break their own pledge not to compete in Florida. This seemingly small window was their opportunity and is part of a pattern of “playing outside the lines” on the part of the Clinton campaign. As evidence, Plouffe cited previous incidents in Nevada, when Clinton precinct captains allegedly tried to shut caucus sites early, and Iowa, where the Clinton campaign didn’t approve of Obama encouraging out of state students to caucus. This type of behavior, Plouffe said, shows that Clinton is willing to “win at all costs.”

The Obama campaign will not campaign in Florida - even if Clinton does. This campaign is about delegates, and Florida has none.

Tigersville, SC-

GOP Hopeful Mike Huckabee, who has sharpened his anti-illegal immigration talk recently, as he competes for the first in the south primary of South Carolina, put an exclamation point today next to his hardening stance on border security.

At an event sponsored, by two anti-illegal immigration umbrella groups, Huckabee signed a “No Amnesty” Pledge, that read in part that as president he would oppose” amnesty or any other special path to citizenship for the millions of foreign nationals unlawfully present in the United States.”

Roy Beck, head of Americans for Better Immigration, one of the event organizers, said Huckabee was the only presidential candidate so far to sign the pledge.

When asked if his rival John McCain should also sign the pledge, Huckabee side-stepped the question with a customary joke.

“I’m not going to speak for him. I have trouble enough speaking for me. I mess up enough speaking for me,” Huckabee said to laughter in the room.” Now if I thought I could mess up speaking for him, I’d go ahead and speak for him.

Beck however responded a little more bluntly. ” I think everybody should take the same pledge or at least promise it in some other way,” Beck told reporters. “But I think he made it clear in the South Carolina debate last week that at least 10 million illegal aliens ought to stay here permanently.” Beck replied, a slight smirk crossed his face as he finished the last sentence of the press conference.

In an email to reporters sent well before polls in Michigan closed, Obama Press Secretary Bill Burton downplayed what looked like an early victory for Senator Clinton, saying the results “have no bearing on the Democratic nomination contest.”

The reason: Michigan violated Democratic National Committee rules by moving up its primary and hence has had its delegates stripped as punishment. Burton stressed that Democratic candidates pledged not campaign in the state, open any offices, hire any staff, or communicate with Michigan voters. The Clinton campaign, Burton pointed out, did not withdraw her name “even though she publicly committed to not participate in the Primary.”

Burton also preemptively downplayed Florida’s upcoming primary, scheduled on January 29th against the DNC’s will. Senator Clinton currently leads in the polls there. Team Obama scolded the Clinton campaign for breaking her pledge and scheduling a fundraiser in the off-limits state and added “there are signs – despite Senator Clinton’s public pledge to the contrary – that she may be planning to campaign in the state – inquiring about large venues and increased organizing activity – ahead of the Florida primary.”

Check out Burton’s email after the jump.

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