Obama told supporters in an e-mail message Thursday that he would not accept about $85 million in public funds when he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee.
In the e-mail, Obama said the public campaign financing system allowed “special interests [to] drown out the voices of the American people” and asked his supporters to “declare our independence from a broken system.”
McCain said that Obama’s move to drop out of the system “should be disturbing to all Americans” and that he may decide to opt out, too.
“Sen. Obama’s reversal on public financing is one of a number of reversals … that he has taken,” McCain said while touring flood-damaged parts of Iowa.



