Not So Fast , Sen. Obama

Obama has claimed that he is free from lobbyist influence. Almost every speech has contained this kind of rhetoric, in some form or another. Interestingly enough, now that the Dems' race is all but over, Newsweek is telling a different story.

When Illinois utility Commonwealth Edison wanted state lawmakers to back a hefty rate hike two years ago, it took a creative lobbying approach, concocting a new outfit that seemed devoted to the public interest: Consumers Organized for Reliable Electricity, or CORE. CORE ran TV ads warning of a "California-style energy crisis" if the rate increase wasn't approved—but without disclosing the commercials were funded by Commonwealth Edison. The ad campaign provoked a brief uproar when its ties to the utility, which is owned by Exelon Corp., became known. "It's corporate money trying to hoodwink the public," the state's Democratic Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said. What got scant notice then—but may soon get more scrutiny—is that CORE was the brainchild of ASK Public Strategies, a consulting firm whose senior partner is David Axelrod, now chief strategist for Barack Obama.

For someone that has denied being a typical politician, he sure has surrounded himself with some people that know how to play the game. I don't mind that Sen. Obama wants to win the race, for this is why he entered it. He has a right to give it a good effort.

But do not expect me, or others that have the capabilities of rational and analytical thinking, to buy into some crazy myth that Obama is a "different" kind of politician. Because, he isn't.