It seems unlikely that Barack Obama's campaign will be audited by the Federal Elections Committee.  If he had accepted public financing, which he had promised to do, it would have been required.  The FEC's composition  also makes it unlikely, since it consists of 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans.

     I'm not expecting an audit, but I would have liked to see one.  There were questionable contributions from foreign countries, donors with fictitious names, and contributions which exceeded annual limits.  The most troubling aspect of Obama's campaign is the number of contributions he received below $200.  This is a source of pride for the campaign.  In their view, it helps illustrate the campaign's broad appeal.  This could be true, but since camapigns aren't required to provide detailed information for constributions under $200, the process is susceptible to problems.  The law does not require disclosure of all these donations, but it certainly should.  That's a change I would like to see implemented, but I won't count on it during the next administration.

    In the long run, this campaign will be seen as a turning point.  On one side we have John McCain who fought for campaign finance reform, and on the other, we have Barack Obama who lied about accepting public funds, then went on to spend over $600 million.  I doubt we will ever see a Democrat or Republican candidate accept public funds again.  Instead, we will see even more money injected into Presidential politics.  May the best fundraiser win.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15497.html

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/obama_fundraising_audit/2008/11/11/150153.html