Now accepting super PAC funds

President Obama is being criticized for allowing donations to a super PAC backing his candidacy after saying that he would not accept money from federal lobbyists for his campaigns.

He has changed his mind on that score and is now urging Democratic fundraisers to fund Priorities USA Action, a super PAC run by two former staffers.

The group has federal lobbyists among its contributors, but the White House says that it cannot control management of the PAC. Mr. Obama contends that he does refuse lobbyist and PAC money in his campaign account.

The president had argued sharply against the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that opened the door for unlimited political donations from corporations and unions to outside groups.

Republicans and campaign-finance watchdogs accuse Mr. Obama of hypocrisy. But political reality dictated a change in course.

Republican groups such as American Crossroads gathered $51 million last year while a pro-Mitt Romney PAC gathered $30.2 million. Yet its Democratic equivalent, Priorities, managed only $6.7 million.

As Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said to supporters: “We can’t ... unilaterally disarm.”

The president may not like some of the rules of the game which he criticized in the past. But he needs to play by them to compete politically.