Back in 2007, when Barack Obama wasn’t raking in ~$40 million a month, he promised that he would work hard on a deal with the Republican nominee to enter into the public financing system. That system would limit campaign expenditures to just under $90 millions, or about 2 months and 1 week of fundraising by Obama. The New York Times:

Senator John McCain joined Senator Barack Obama on Thursday in promising to accept a novel fund-raising truce if each man wins his party’s presidential nomination.

The promises by Mr. McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, are an effort to resuscitate part of the ailing public financing system for presidential campaigns. …

Mr. Burton added that if nominated Mr. Obama would “aggressively pursue an agreement” with whoever was his opponent.

But now that Obama sees a sea of green, will he back out of his pledge? It seems like that’s what he’s gearing up to do:

Despite his previous pledge to enter into the public financing system should he be the Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has recently been reluctant to re-commit to entering the system…

Tonight at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., at the National Museum of Women in the Arts — at a $2,300-per-person event for 200 people held before a $1,000-per-person reception for 350 people — Obama previewed his argument to justify this possible future discarding of a principle.

“We have created a parallel public financing system where the American people decide if they want to support a campaign they can get on the Internet and finance it, and they will have as much access and influence over the course and direction of our campaign that has traditionally been reserved for the wealthy and the powerful,” Obama said.

Apparently when he said “hope” and “change”, he meant “I hope no one notices that I’m changing my position on public financing”.