Both the Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote stories in the past two days discussing the financial support that Sugarhouse Casino majority-owner Neil Bluhm has provided to the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama. As the Inquirer tells us:

The Obama campaign said yesterday it saw nothing inconsistent in the senator's accepting support from Neil G. Bluhm, a Chicago-based real estate developer. According to the Washington Post, Bluhm has bundled together $78,000 in contributions from himself and his family.

Mr. Obama's position on casino gambling seems confusing at best. He made one oft-mentioned quote to the Chicago Defender back as a State Senator, fighting the then-Governor of Illinois Rod Blogojevich's hopes to patch up a budget deficit with casino receipts, saying that the "moral and social cost of gambling, particularly in low income communities could be devastating." But during and after his hard-fought race for the presidential primary win in the Nevada caucus, he defended himself against Clinton camp attacks on his gambling positions by saying:

Asked in February about his views, Obama told The Associated Press that Nevada should be proud of how it's used gambling as a "very successful economic model."

"The concerns that I had in Illinois related to the way in which those who own these (gambling river) boats had a very exclusive monopoly, were making enormous contributions to the state Legislature and were having a disproportionate influence on the legislation," Obama said.

Obama also was a critic of lawmakers accepting political contributions from gambling interests that were seeking permits from the Illinois Legislature.

The Senator said he continued to believe there is "certainly a potential moral and social cost to gambling, if it's not properly regulated, if children have access to it. It's something I continue to be concerned about."