Biden: Obama financing decision is risky

WASHINGTON, June 22 (UPI) -- Presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama's decision not to accept public campaign financing could be risky, Sen. Joe Biden said Sunday.

The Democratic senator from Delaware said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the Illinois senator is taking a chance by reversing his position on public financing for the general election campaign.

"So in terms of the downside of his not accepting, in terms of influence of big money, there is no influence of big money in his campaign," he said of Obama's electoral move. "In terms of undermining the public financing idea for everyone, it doesn't help."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who also appeared on the NBC news program, chose to challenge why Obama decided to go against earlier statements that he would accept public financing if he won the nomination.

"It means his word's broken forever on this issue," Graham said of the effect of Obama's reversal. "I think that's what it means more than anything else."

"This is reinforcing everything that's wrong with politics; this is a game-changer in terms of the general election. This will not go unnoticed by the American people."