Candidate A loans her campaign $11 million. Candidate B offers to pay off that debt to herself if she drops out of the race and gives him a clear shot at their party's presidential nomination. That is the latest rumor.

The latest rumor making the rounds is that maybe Barack Obama will pay off Hillary's $11 million loan to her campaign if she quits the race. I suppose that makes some kind of sense — and it would be a gracious and unifying gesture from Obama — but I'm not sure why Hillary would really be moved by this. She and Bill have earned over $100 million in the past few years and Bill obviously has tremendous earning capacity in the future. $11 million just isn't a big deal to them.

Now I know that failed candidates work to pay off their campaign debts, and that other candidates are allowed to help them. But what if that debt is all to the candidate herself, and there is a quid pro quo deal on that. Doesn't it have the appearance of impropriety, even if it is perfectly legal and above board?

Warren over at Coyote Blog certainly thinks it does -- and wonders how the Democrats would have reacted to newt Gingrich offering such a pile of cash to buy off challengers for Speaker of the House.

Posted by: Greg at 12:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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