Mark Schmidt and Jane Hamsher ask a question that I’ve been wondering the last few days while writing about McCain’s FEC problems: why are the campaign finance reform groups remaining silent on McCain’s efforts to break the law and back out of federal matching funds? Why are they silent now, when five of them demanded Obama take matching funds on the basis of a previous willingness to consider public financing?

Remember, Obama’s position was staked out through a written questionnaire and could charitably be put as him keeping an open mind towards using public financing if his GOP opponent did the same. This is nowhere near John McCain’s current situation, where he used his FEC authorization as collateral for a $4 million line of credit (75% used) and a means to get on the ballot in at least Ohio, Kentucky, Delaware, and Montana. McCain is either about to or already has exceeded his spending limit for the entire primary – and we’re still six months from the Republican nominating convention.

The silence from the campaign finance reform groups is deafening.