Senator Clinton nab$ Vilsack'$ endor$ement

I've been picking Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination for President. Her savvy campaigning, I thought, would help her fend off challengers Barack Obama and John Edwards.

I had no idea.

Shortly after endorsing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack received nearly $90,000 in donations to his defunct presidential campaign from some of Clinton's major backers, campaign finance reports show.

The donations, disclosed in Federal Election Commission filings over the weekend, came from Clinton fundraising bastions of New York, California, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
(LA Times)

Legal? I don't see why not.

Ethical? I don't see how.

The article quotes a Clinton campaign spokesperson as saying that the Clintons and Vilsack go way back. It was admitted that a commitment was made to retire Vilsack's campaign debt, but denied that the deal included Vilsack's endorsement.

Perhaps I'm just ignorant of the way high-strata society operates, but organizing to have one's political supporters give money to a different candidate where that money goes in the pocket (repaying a loan from Vilsack to his campaign) seems more than a little fishy. Was Vilsack buds with any of the other Democratic candidates? Did they also help retire his debt?

Looks and smells like quid pro quo.

Hat tip to Captain's Quarters.