Several years ago, at a Senate hearing, I heard Robert Squier, a pioneer of big-time, big money campaign consulting, trying to explaining why candidates at times take contributions from questionable sources. He said that when you're at a point in a campaign when you're desperate for cash, that's when problems start.

I was reminded of Squier's remarks reading the NY Times story about Hillary Clinton's campaign cash troubles (I'm not picking on Clinton - this happens in a lot of campaigns at all levels). The story says "the campaign is actively hunting for new wellsprings of cash" and facing a "daily challenge ... to scrounge up new names of people to ask for money." Clinton, according to the piece, is has been "exhorting fund-raisers to `think outside the box.'"

One place they're looking may be outside the "box" of campaign finance laws - 527's and other groups that spend money purportedly independent of the campaign. One fundraiser said, somewhat defensively and not too convincingly, "These are very smart people who are being very thoughtful about it." The word "thoughtful" conjures up notions of being careful to do the right thing (as opposed to pushing the legal envelope). I doubt it.