Let's Compare Obama's and McCain's Ethics

Barack Obama took a strong public stance on ethics that actually has some teeth–a refreshing change from at least the past four administrations.

This is the ethics statement that Obama’s team uses to vet potential appointees in the transition effort. It’s one of the best I’ve seen:

As a condition of being permitted to serve as a member of the Obama Transition Project, I agree to abide by the following requirements:

1. I will disqualify myself from involvement in any particular Obama Transition Project matter which to my knowledge may directly conflict with a financial interest of an immediate family member, partner, client, or other individual or organization with which I have had a business relationship within the past 12 months. Should there be no such direct conflict, but the potential for the appearance of a conflict, I will address this issue for resolution to the Project Executive Director.

2. I will disqualify myself from involvement in any particular transition matter if I have engaged in regulated lobbying activities with respect to such matter, as defined by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, within the previous 12 months.

3. I will not solicit or accept any money or things of value in exchange for a promise to support or use influence on behalf of any person who is a candidate for any appointive office or place in the United States Government.

4. I understand that in my Obama Transition Project-related activities, unless given specific authorization, I am not permitted to make any representations on behalf of Senator Obama or the Democratic nominee for Vice President, their designees, or any official of the Obama Transition Project, and in all my service to the Transition, I will identify myself only as acting on behalf of the Transition Project on transition-related matters.

5. I understand that authorization is required from the Obama Transition Project’s Executive Director or the Executive Director’s designee before seeking, on behalf of the Obama Transition Project, access to any non-public information.

6. I will hold in confidence any non-public information provided to me in the course of my duties with the Obama Transition Project and ensure that such information is used exclusively for purposes of the Obama Transition Project.
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7. I will not use or permit to be used any non-public information, in any manner, for any private gain for myself or any other party, at any time during or after the operation of the Obama Transition Fund.

8. During my service with the Obama Transition Project, I will not communicate with or appear before, with the intent to influence, any federal agency with respect to which I have substantial responsibility during the activities of the Obama Transition Project, on behalf of any other person or entity (except federal, state, or local government entities). I will promptly cause my firm or organization to establish reasonable procedures to assure that I will not participate in any undertaking with respect to which I am affected by this provision.

9. In the event that Senator Obama is elected president, for 12 months following the conclusion of my service with the Obama Transition Project, I will not on behalf of any person or entity (except federal, state, or local government entities) communicate with or appear before, for compensation and with the intent to influence, any federal agency on a particular regulatory or policy matter for which I had substantial responsibility during my service to the Transition Project.

10. I will conserve and protect any federal property entrusted to me, and shall not use federal property, including motor vehicles or other forms of transportation, stationery, printing, equipment and supplies, other than for purposes directly related to the activities of the Obama Transition Project.

11. Neither I nor any member of my immediate family will accept a gift from:

a. Anyone who is seeking a job with the federal government;

b. A federal employee in any agency or department within the scope of my Obama Transition Project responsibilities;

c. Any person or organization that conducts activities regulated by or has a matter pending before an agency or department within the scope of my Obama Transition Project responsibilities; or

d. Any person or organization under circumstances where it may reasonably appear that the gift is being given in order to influence my decisions, advice, recommendations or actions as an Obama Transition Project member

12. If I am currently a federally registered lobbyist:

a. I understand that I may not contribute to or collect contributions for the Obama Transition Project.

b. I understand that I may not incur any expenses on behalf of the Obama Transition Project, whether they are paid by me personally or by my employer.

c. I understand that I will not be permitted to serve in a titled role for the Obama Transition Project, including but not limited to serving as a chair of a working group or holding an honorific title, or having lead or substantial responsibility for any final recommendations.

13. I will not represent, aid or advise a foreign government or foreign political party for the duration of service to the Transition Project.

I understand that my commitment to abide by these requirements may be made public and that this document will be made available to any department or agency to which I may be assigned. I will seek guidance from the Counsel to the Obama Transition Project, or designated agency ethics officials, as appropriate, if necessary to ensure compliance with these standards of conduct. I furthermore acknowledge that failure to comply with the above provisions may result in my dismissal

And it’s fascinating to me that no matter how hard they try, the screaming meemies of the Right haven’t come up with any real dirt on Obama. What have they based their campaign on? Ridiculous stuff like…

In other words, there’s no dirt, because if there was anything, the Roves and Limbaughs and Coulters of the world would have certainly dug it up. They have found nothing that sticks, either about his personal life or his professional business/political life–and this despite his location in Chicago, a city long-known for political corruption.

I have some personal concerns about Obama, although I will be voting for him. While the decision to stay away from the limits of public financing was certainly tactically smart–and provided a huge edge in this race, since McCain is abiding by the rules and taking public money–the long-term strategic impact may prove negative. And I have major disagreements with some of Obama’s foreign policy and energy stances. He is not a true peace candidate and he doesn’t fully understand the problems with traditional, centralized, polluting power sources such as nuclear, coal, and offshore oil drilling. But these are not concerns about ethics.

Now…how about McCain?
He spews a lot of rhetoric about “Country First” and “Straight Talk”–but this doesn’t hold up very well to scrutiny. McCain appears to have sold his soul to the devil, burying his “maverick” credentials under a flurry of flip-flops to curry favor with the radical Right. He even voted in favor of torture, despite his own personal (and very real) experience s a victim of torture.

There’s more. Much more. And if we’re to believe Tim Dickinson’s extensively researched profile of McCain in Rolling Stone, a lot of the nasty stuff goes back long before the current campaign. In fact, long before he went to Vietnam, it was always really about McCain First and the Doubletalk Express.