In reversal, Obama backs lucrative fundraising drive

WASHINGTON - In a key twist to the 2012 election, US President Barack Obama has reversed course and will encourage rich Democratic donors to back a fund that can raise unlimited millions for his re-election bid.

Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina said Obama would allow cabinet members and senior advisers to address big money events, reasoning that Democrats could not be "unilaterally disarmed" in the face of a Republican cash landslide.

Political committees known as super PACS have mushroomed since a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that gutted campaign finance laws and let corporations and individuals give unlimited sums to outside groups backing candidates.