Buying an Election

I really found your response to Basalt very interesting Amp.  And I agree with you.  Character attacks via the media and special interest groups is not the way to campaign for public office.  But there's another issue here that I think people are overlooking and it does go to the issue of character - and that is buying an election. Everyone seems to be enamoured about Barack Obama's ability to raise $700,000,000 in campaign funding, nearly four times what John McCain is able to raise through public financing.  And it is quitely likely that when the campaign is over, the difference will not be between issues or character, but the amount of money spent.  And that is a terrible precedent to set.  Supposing a foreign country like Saudi Arabia or China or Russia looked at the US presidential or senatorial or house races and decided next time to put a billion dollars behind a candidate of their choice. Think about it.  It's not a pretty thought to know that money alone could be the key factor in deciding an election and that issues or character will take second and third place.  I'm not inferring that this is what Obama is doing or that he will be influenced. That goes to his character. I am inferring that it could happen - and that reform is definitely in order - or we won't know who is actually running the country.  Make sense?