And with the Senate Ethics Committee (though I doubt the Dems will allow it to go anywhere) (h/t Hot Air)

A watchdog group filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Senate Ethics Committee Wednesday against Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) over a discounted mortgage he received from Northern Trust.

Judicial Watch, a conservative legal watchdog group, filed the report after The Washington Post reported that Obama received a discount on a mortgage for a Chicago home valued at $1.65 million. The complaints said the Illinois senator received a loan at the interest rate of 5.625 percent, which Judicial Watch says is lower than the standard rate of between 5.93 and 6 percent indicated by surveys.

The complaint asks the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether the favorable rates constitute a prohibited “gift” under Senate rules.

 This should soon be followed by the usual suspects complaining about “Republican Dirty Tricks,” and attempting to drag McCain in to the issue, rather the addressing what appears to be a sweatheart deal for Obama.

Captain Ed: All of that and $5 will buy a cup of latte at Starbucks, too.  The problem here is that most of this can be explained at least enough to get past the complaints — especially with the Senate Ethics Committee.  That group probably won’t rouse itself to take action against Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad, two Senators who obviously got preferential treatment on loans and rates through the intervention of Countrywide’s CEO, Angelo Mozilo.  Dodd and Conrad deserve removal, but if they even get so much as a censure, I’ll eat my hat.