Obama warns Bush over veto threat

He may not believe in pre-emptive wars, but Barack Obama does apparently believe in pre-emptive press releases. Obama today released a statement urging President Bush to sign the ethics reform bill passed by Congress before it left for August recess. Obama helped craft the bill, but Bush has made noise about vetoing it.

"President Bush cannot stand in the way of this opportunity to reform the lobbyist-driven culture in Washington that doesn’t represent real Americans or their interests," Obama said. "For too long, the American people have been stranded on the sidelines while Washington lobbyists have bought every seat at the table to stop us from reforming our health care system or our energy policy ... By vetoing the most far-reaching reform in history, President Bush would deny the American people the change they demand."

On the campaign trail, Obama often rails against lobbyists and special interests, making a point of saying he does not take special-interest money. But as the Globe reported today, that hasn't always been the case.