Hillary's pop-up 527 group

On February 15th, the IRS received a filing from a new 527 group called the American Leadership Project, which claims to be none other than an advocate for middle class issues.  Actually, it's a pro-Clinton lobbyist group that is running ads in Ohio attacking Barack Obama and supporting the former First Lady.  The group is headed by none other than former Clinton assistant press secretary Roger Salazar.

Campaign finance reform advocates are outraged:

"This pop-up 527 group clearly has been created to spend unlimited softmoney to influence the presidential election," said Fred Wertheimer, ofthe group Democracy 21, after reviewing the ad. "As far as the ducktest goes: It looks like a campaign ad; it sounds like a campaign ad;it's a campaign ad."

Do you smell the stench of fear in this ad:

See, this is the kind of stuff Barack Obama has been fighting against ever since he got to the Senate.  Groups like this would be limited if he becomes commander-in-chief.  Even so, as one writer over at Kos explains, even under existing law, what this group is going is illegal:

Let's be clear: when a 527 forms for the express purpose of electing ordefeating a particular federal candidate, and engages in publicadvocacy towards such ends -- as opposed to discussing issues -- it isbreaking the law.

Stealth 527 campaigns like these supply us with yet another reason why Barack Obama should be president.  Hillary has the big donors on her side.  Obama has nearly one million strong.