The Boston Globe reports that “Senator John McCain has retreated from his longtime commitment to public financing of campaigns since he started planning his 2008 bid for the presidency, according to nonpartisan advocates who had hoped McCain would be a strong voice for reform during the most expensive presidential campaign in history.”

In 2003 McCain cosponsored “legislation to expand the federal matching system to help fund presidential campaigns, but failed to add his name to similar measures in 2006 and 2007. And while McCain once supported a law in his home state of Arizona providing full public financing of campaigns, he now says he opposes that idea at the federal level.”

‘McCain’s campaign said the presumptive Republican nominee, who completed a fund-raising swing through western states Friday, has “a clear and long record” of supporting campaign finance reform, and has not recently advocated an expansion of public financing because it would be inappropriate for him to take a lead role in increasing funding for a program from which he could benefit.’

However, campaign finance reform activists (yes, they exist) say they’re distressed ‘at what they see as McCain’s abandonment of the issue at a time when supporters of reform most need bipartisan backing of efforts to control the influence of money in campaigns.’

They thought they had someone who was supportive of their issue running for president, but now that he has won the Republican nomination, McCain suddenly seems to realize that his pro-campaign finance reform views may make it more difficult for him to raise the money he needs to win the Democratic nominee, whoever he may be.

Not only that, McCain also fears – many think – that he has to distance ‘himself from controversial reform issues to placate the conservative wing of his party.’ In other words: it could cost him money and votes.

But isn’t that what McCain is supposed to be about? Telling it like it is? Straight talk? Not giving in to pressure? Doing what’s right, even if he’s punished for it?

Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. More than anything else, McCain is a politician. And all politicians do what they think is necessary to win. If doing ‘good’ doesn’t hurt their chances, they’ll do good (or what they perceive as good; I’m not giving my opinion on campaign finance reform). But if it does hurt their chances, well, they rather refrain from making the world a better place.

As such, activists shouldn’t be surprised. McCain does what he considers best for his political future. And if we were in his shoes, we would probably all do the same.

And if we wouldn’t, well, then we would not ever be in his shoes.

That’s politics. That’s life.