-By Mike Sacks
January 29, 2012- Doubling down on comments he made earlier in the week, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday's "Meet the Press" once again denounced the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision for unleashing the flood of money now "washing over politics."
McCain is a key backer of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose campaign and supporting super PACs have outspent former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his allies on television advertisements by a 4-1 ratio. But asked whether he condemned super PACs — organizations that can accept unlimited donations from corporations, individuals and unions for independent campaign spending — McCain said, "I condemn them on all sides and I condmen United States Supreme Court for their naivete" in the Citizens United decision, which he described as an "outrage."
Citizens United struck down limits on corporate spending set forth in a 2002 campaign finance law that McCain sponsored and helped pass through Congress. Soon thereafter, a federal appeals court, relying on Citizens United's logic, enabled the creation of super PACs by striking down limits on individual spending in campaigns.
Romney has long voiced agreement with Citizens United, famously rebutting a heckler complaining about the Court's extension of First Amendment rights to corporate speech by saying, "corporations are people, my friend."