The news out of Chicago is not good for Governor Rod Blagojevich. Convicted Chicago political operator Antoin “Tony” Rezko is talking to prosecutors about what he knows as far as corruption in Illinois and Chicago politics.
Believe me, it’s plenty.
Jailed political fundraiser Antoin “Tony” Rezko, the Chicago real estate developer who helped launch Barack Obama on his political career, is whispering secrets to federal prosecutors about corruption in Illinois and the political fallout could be explosive.Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose administration faces multiple federal investigations over how it handed out jobs and money with advice from Rezko, is considered the most vulnerable.
Rezko also was friendly with Obama — offering him a job when he finished law school, funding his earliest political campaigns and purchasing a lot next to his house. But based on the known facts, charges so far and testimony at Rezko’s trial, there’s no indication there’ll be an October surprise that could hurt the Democratic presidential nominee — even though Rezko says prosecutors are pressing him for dirt about Obama.
“I think this strikes fear into the Blagojevich administration and the Statehouse Democrats but not into the Obama campaign,” says state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Westmont, a John McCain delegate to the GOP convention but an old friend of Obama.
Should Obama be worried? Not about Rezko. The real estate deal between the two that allowed Obama to purchase his mansion (Rezko bought an adjacent vacant lot saving Obama hundreds of thousands of dollars) and then have Obama do Rezko a favor by purchasing a small strip of that lot for an above market price was borderline legal, certainly unethical, but probably nothing Chicago prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald would want to drag the next president (or sitting president) into court about.
There are other Rezko-Obama dealings such as Obama’s steering state contracts to Rezko’s businesses in exchange for fundraising assistance and campaign contributions. But that kind of thing is done all the time and you’d probably have to arrest just about every member of the House of Representatives and the Senate if a prosecutor would go after lawmakers who greased the palms of cronies and fundraisers with contracts.
So in order to understand why Obama may be sweating, I will have to give you a quick primer on the nature of Chicago politics.
There is a triad in the city that rules in all matters political and most matters economic. The first leg of the triad is the “legitimate” businessman. In order to start a business or expand one, you obviously need a bunch of licenses, permissions, and approvals from several city departments. You also need a little “juice” (used to be called “clout”). Nothing gets done in Chicago without greasing the palms of the right people either by gifts, promises of future considerations, or outright bribes.
This is where the second triad of the Chicago power structure comes into play. Well connected operators like Tony Rezko will, for a piece of the action or a kickback (“pay for play”) grease the wheels of government and get the job done allowing the legitimate businessman to operate.
The third leg of the triad is the politician. Connected to both the legitimate business world and the shady, half underground world of the Tony Rezkos in the city, the politician steers business his way or to his ward thus enriching himself and bringing home the bacon for his constituents.The politicians also staff the numerous bureaucracies at City Hall through complicated patronage schemes. This ensures a rock solid loyalty to the man who rides herd on all of it from above; Mayor Richard Daley.
But then there is a sub-strata that supports the entire rotten edifice. “The outfit” we call it here. It is the remnant of the original Al Capone gang that never left the city – updated and vastly more organized, disciplined, and improved – and has its fingers in so many legitimate pies that it is impossible sometimes to separate the politician from the businessman from the mobster. The outfit has a lot of cash that both the politician and the businessman can tap into. The Rezko’s of the city move easily in and out of the legitimate and illegitimate world, acting as a bridge when necessary in order to keep both the businessman and the politician’s hands clean.
They all mingle, intertwine, do each other favors, muscle out those who don’t play the game, and steal as much taxpayer money as they believe they can get away with.
I am sorry if that was a little longer than a “short primer” but there really is no easy way to paint a picture of the spider’s web of connections that now may entrap Obama.
One strand of that web holds interest for prosecutor Fitzgerald. It is the Giannoulias family and their ownership of The Broadway Bank. Specifically, the bank’s vice president and chief loan officer Alexi Giannoulias who has, to put it mildly, a rather checkered history:
A man who has long been dogged by charges that the bank his family owns helped finance a Chicago crime figure will host a Windy City fund-raiser tonight for Sen. Barack Obama.Alexi Giannoulias, who became Illinois state treasurer last year after Obama vouched for him, has pledged to raise $100,000 for the senator’s Oval Office bid.
Before he promised to raise funds for Obama, Giannoulias bankrolled Michael “Jaws” Giorango, a Chicagoan twice convicted of bookmaking and promoting prostitution.
Giannoulias is so tainted by reputed mob links that several top Illinois Dems, including the state’s speaker of the House and party chairman, refused to endorse him even after he won the Democratic nomination with Obama’s help.
Giannoulias was the bank’s vice president and chief loan officer for most of the more than $15 million in loans.
He was not charged with breaking any laws. The Obama campaign disputed any suggestion that Obama is tarnished by the association.
“Barack Obama has a long record of fighting for ethics reform from his days as a state senator,” a campaign rep said.
Alexi also approved millions in loans for Rezko’s various real estate projects. Obama used Broadway Bank for both his personal business and for his Senate campaign fund.
At this point, a reasonable observer would say that I am just touting another “guilt by association” meme. Au contraire, mon ami. Read on, McDuff:
(4) The Giannoulias family was involved with Obama as far back as his first state senate campaign in 1996. It has been long rumored here in Chicago that Obama obtained a sweetheart deal on his first town home here in Chicago — which he could not have afforded otherwise — and guess who the financing came from for that house? We’ve been told it was Broadway Bank, the Giannoulias bank. Now, this sets up a scenario where the Giannoulias family helps Obama with his campaign finances and gets him deeper in their pocket with his sweetheart mortgage deal (for the first home he owned that he could not afford) – all in exchange for quid pro quo to be determined later.(5) One favor political Chicago claims Obama did for the Giannoulias family was in 2006 when, out of the blue, 29 year old Alexi Giannoulias, with no experience, and without ever having voted before, decides to run for State Treasurer of Illinois. Also out of the blue, Barack Obama endorses Alexi Giannoulias for State Treasurer. This was a SHOCK to everyone in Chicago — and Giannoulias would have never become State Treasurer without Obama’s help. In political circles here, it has always been believed that this endorsement was bought years ago with that sweetheart mortgage deal Broadway Bank arranged for Obama to buy his town house.
(6) So, the Tony Rezko sweetheart deal was not the first magic home loan Obama ever received to buy a house he could not afford.
There’s more to this that looks like it will break soon. We were STUNNED when we read Sneed’s column because we never in a million years believed Fitz would actually be able to take down Obama.
The Sneed column referenced contains this cryptic entry:
Sneed hears rumbles political fund-raiser/fixer Tony Rezko, who is now singing sweetly to the feds from his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, has been talking about his “dealings” with a Chicago bank, which has political connections.
Clearly, Obama’s legal Achilles heel is not directly related to Rezko but rather his dealings with the Giannoulis family and Broadway Bank. And if Fitzy can turn young Alexi – now Illinois State Treasurer – Lord knows what will spill out and complicate an Obama presidency.
For in truth, there is no chance this will come out before the election. Fitzgerald has proven himself to be a very careful prosecutor – especially when aiming high – and will no doubt seek to build his case slowly. He may end up not even indicting Obama, seeing the enormous problems in trying to bring Obama to trial. But you can bet that Obama will be interviewed several times by the prosecutor and will himself, be on tenterhooks as to his fate.
Obama was simply caught up in business as usual Chicago politics – where there are times you can’t tell the difference between the businessman, the politician, and the mobster. It is from this political culture our next president will have sprung.
Kind of makes you wish for the good old days of Al Capone. At least you knew who the crooks were.
UPDATE
Welcome Instapundit readers.
For the record, my inclusion of the Chicago political primer was so that the Obama-Rezko-Giannoulis connection could be seen in context. Why would Obama endorse a mob banker for State Treasurer, going against the expressed wishes of the leader of his party in the statehouse? The same reason Rezko approached the Broadway bank for a $13 million loan for his real estate projects. In Chicago, it’s not who you are but what you can do for me. The payoff for Obama was Giannoulis raising a ton of money for him in his presidential campaign. This was set up by Obama’s endorsement of Giannoulis for treasurer which in turn was set up by almost certainly a generous loan arrangement on Obama’s first townhome run through Broadway.
Interestingly, Rezko was also indicted in a check bouncing matter after having written almost a half million dollars in bad checks in Vegas. While there has been speculation in the Chicago press that Broadway Bank kept Rezko’s head above water with low cost loans for much of the last 3 years when his businesses were bankrupt, the fact that those checks were drawn on an account at Broadway Bank probably means that the Giannoulis family cut Rezko loose, seeing him as a liability.
How badly do you think Tony wants to get back at the Giannoulis family?
11:05 am
You think Fitzgerald won’t be fired with all the other US Attys should Obama take office?
Should be interesting if he is. The Chicago press loves the guy. They will likely scream bloody murder.
ed.
11:32 am
If only the MSM would decide that “saving the country from a bad seed” would be better for them in the long run than assuring Obama’s election, we would see an avalanche of stories about Obama’s shady background. But we know that will never happen. Sigh…
11:51 am
Damm, if this was Sarah Palin the MSM would be all over this like flys on you know what. Rouge Trooper threans to kill family, thats ok but a senator from Illinois with shady bank deals… nothing to see here, just move along.
11:51 am
Obama definitely is not sweating.
The Republicans, having embraced Obama’s socialist principles, now think they can win a personality contest with him. That’s a recipe for a blowout.
I suspect McCain believes his own bs—he thinks he really is a maverick that cares about the middle path, balance, putting country first, and that people should respect him for his sacrifice. McCain and his fans are kidding themselves. One, McCain’s maverick image was bestowed upon him by the liberal media in the first place for repeatedly stabbing conservatives in the back. What the media grants, it can also take away. Secondly, if sacrifice for the great collective—country first—is the animating idea of our politics, Obama’s nationalism and socialism clearly exceed what McCain has to offer. Any new oversight, regulation, spending, and legislation Republicans create is always doomed in advance for not going far enough. See the problem?
Obama can only be defeated on substance—issues on whether your wealth belongs to you, whether we should have an “on your own society” or a society where we’re all in it together, and other prole-speak for the great philosophical debates of our era. The Republicans abjectly surrendered on this front; without ideology, there is no sharp way for them to cut through the media’s bs beyond negative attacks.
12:44 pm
J.H. Bowden,
Why are you making so much sense? It is painful to read some of things that are plain to see for those who havent closed their eyes yet.
I do have quibbles about you saying that McCain is a fake maverick – he is no saint – he is most definitely not much of a conservative – but he has crossed party lines on important issues more than any other politician has – his stance on immigration, environmental issues, gang of 14 judges, and yes even campaign reform took a lot of guts to stick to – no matter whether you think it was right or wrong to do so.
By contrast,we will have a President ready to sign Employee “free choice” act into legislation within the first 100 days of office, ready to withdraw from Iraq in 16 months (and if he doesnt his hand will be forced by a filibuster proof Democrat Congress) and ready to increase capital gains taxes, payroll taxes and income taxes NO MATTER how crappy the economy is.
It’s going to be a long 4 years.
1:12 pm
[...] Much of this blog post appeared originally at Right Wing Nuthouse [...]
2:06 pm
Rick:
If Fitzgerald is dumb enough to investigate the Messiah’s crooked dealings, he will get booted. And the Chicago press (not to mention the rest of the MSM) will cheer the firing. Bank on it.
The investigative press – Kass, Sweet, et al – would not cheer, I think. The Eric Zorns no doubt would raise a glass to Fitzy’s demise. And after the stink made by the Democrats over the firing of a couple of prosecutors who were investigating Republicans, even the national media might have to raise an eyebrow if Obama started off his administration by firing a guy investigating a crony.
ed.
2:08 pm
[...] your headline maker, so much is going to come out AFTER the election, but that’s Chicago for you: Right Wing Nut House REZKO SINGING: OBAMA SWEATING? [...]
2:15 pm
I still can’t get past the lede, linking Rezko and Obama, having been published by the AP.
2:17 pm
It’s what they do…
If Obama is elected we can hope that he rose in Democrat Party politics because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago deal with slumlords and convicted felons like Tony Rezko because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago pal around with wealthy unrepentant terrorist and bombers because Chicago names them as Person of the Year because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago attend large churches run by racist bigots and anti-Semites who demand that God damn America because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago earmark pork for his wife’s employer so she can get a big raise because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago team up with ACORN to register dead people and members of the Dallas Cowboys football team because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago work with ACORN to pressure banks to give mortgages to people who can’t afford them, leading to the collapse of the world’s financial markets because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago get millions in untraceable political contributions from all over the world because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago invalidate their opponents petition to get on the ballot because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago activate mobs to shout down their opponents because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago take large donations from Fannie and Freddie while protecting them from oversight because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago support gun confiscation then lie about it because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
Politicians who want to get ahead in Chicago support killing children who survive botched abortions then lie about it because that’s how things are done in Chicago.
The list of things that are done in Chicago by politicians is virtually endless. What we can hope is that if the politician is elected, he is only a cynical manipulator of people’s hopes and fears and is not really a radical, America hating racist thug.
A crook – that’s OK. After all, it’s the way things are done in Chicago.
Heh. I might use this before the election. Pretty damned thorough.
ed.
2:28 pm
Since BHO is going to be making plenty of public appearances over the next three weeks, here’s an idea: come up with a few good questions for him about this matter and then go to one of those appearances and ask him those questions. Get his response on video, and upload it to Youtube.
That way you don’t have to worry about what the MSM does. If the response from BHO is “good” enough it’s going to get a lot of views.
2:30 pm
[...] At this moment that is all possibly, perhaps, could be, if, etc., which has to be pointed out by every single person writing about this matter, but there certainly seems some dirt here worthy of further investigation. As Chicago resident Rick Moran explained in a post for his blog Right Wing Nut House, the ties between Obama and the Giannoulias family run deep. [...]
2:35 pm
I live in Hudson County, NJ. Therefore, everything you describe is more than plausible to me.
2:40 pm
Rick:
You have more faith in the media than I do. When Slick Willie became President he fired all of the US attorneys – without a peep of protest from the MSM. The same collective yawn will happen if the Chosen One starts running the US Government as His personal property.
I don’t know who Kass, Sweet, and Zorn are, but judging by the cheerleader journalism that is the defining characteristic of modern media I will wager that they constitute a very tiny minority. The vast majority of their colleagues are so far in the tank for the Messiah they may as well have the Seal of Obama tattooed on their foreheads. I have no reason to believe that the media will suddenly become honest and trustworthy after November.
The only thing that could cause the MSM to turn against the Messiah is if (a) He becomes such a liability for Democrats that not even 24/7 flacking can save Democrats, or (b) a newer, sexier Messiah comes along. Ask Hilly the Hun about (b), as she used to be Ms. Inevitability and was worshipped by the media.
As for the Next Messiah – is there a Hispanic lesbian Muslim somewhere in America? She stands an excellent chance of becoming the 45th President!
2:40 pm
The three legs of the Chicago stool have been business, politics and crime for over 100 years. Read anything (Google it!)about Capone, Roger Touhy, Dion O’Bannion or , more recently, the Greylord and Gambat investigations. Quite an eye opener.
You are correct. But there’s “the outfit” and then another strata made up of Rezkos. I didn’t make that point very clear, sorry.
Rezko and a lot of these ward heelers are fixers who move easily between the world of the outfit and the world of legitimacy. Their dealings often go over the line of legality but not always. Plus, they aren’t “made” like a Giannoulis or a DeStefano.
But crime is crime. Not much difference between the two when it comes right down to it.
ed.
2:58 pm
Talibunny, Talibunny, Siss! Boom! Bah!
Talibunny, Talibunny, Rah! Rah! Rah!
http://www.stinque.com/2008/10/10/talibunny-is-a-dummy/
3:16 pm
I recall one Chicago election where election eve coverage started out with an analysis of how there was less election fraud this year than in years past.
Chicago press used to be well known for chasing politicians into stalls in restrooms to ask questions. All that aggressiveness had just about zero effect other than an interesting news show.
Fitzgerald will be replaced – one way or another. A nice way would be to simply promote him. Firing like Clinton did in 1993 is a viable option. Regardless, if the “O” is on the line, Fitz is history. That’s page 82 of the Chicago Political Practice Manual.
3:19 pm
[...] A Chicagoland political primer. [...]
4:04 pm
Here is Obama’s answer to keeping Patrick Fitzgerald in office.
“In the last year, presidential aspirants John McCain and Barack Obama have told the Tribune editorial board they would keep U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald fighting corruption in Illinois.”
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/vox_pop/2008/06/obama-and-mccai.html
Will this become another issue Obama flip flops on?
4:05 pm
Oh boy, this goes a lot deeper than I thought. I may need to take a step back and apply some more powerful analytical skills than I did when Palin’s Tanning Bed scandal and Troopergate scandal came out. Whew!
4:07 pm
This will be buried deep inside the major newspapers. Obama will have his long honeymoon and during a slow news cycle some hungry journalist will begin hammering Obama and actually start research that should have been done in the past..
4:09 pm
Rick
I think your belief in the power of the press in pursuing Obama activities is touching.
Expect a mass firing of Fed prosecutors once Hussein gets into office. Too many Republicans there anyway who might actually continue to pursue voter fraud allegation. While I think there will be some squawking from parts of the press, this will end quickly and matter little. Why? Because the national press will either choose to ignore it altogether or will focus any limited “investigations” on other regions.
So while some limited areas of the press will be mad and might continue to conduct some more investigations, they will get limited local press and virtually 0 national press. Any reporter who refuses, after a couple of months, to go along with the narrative will be either let go or smeared as a lunatic nutcase (and probably racist, too).
4:38 pm
I think you have the direction of the payment/bribe in the Rezko-Obama house deal. The Lisa Myers MSNBC report discussed in this mydd post is no longer available online. The discussion by the poster is accurate. The “adjacent lot” that Rezko’s wife purchased was not some undeveloped piece of investment property, it was the yard for the Obamas’ house. It was the surrounded by the same fence as the Obama house, you could not enter the lot any other way. And it remained like this for months until Obama realized he had to remedy the optics of the situation. He did this by buying back one-sixth of the lot from Rezko (the above market purchase). Obama needed to make this purchase because otherwise he would not have been able to fence off the “Rezko lot” from the Obama lot. I think there is little doubt that the purpose of Rezko’s involvement in this purchase was to allow the Obamas to buy a house they could not otherwise afford (sounds topical doesn’t it). As Obama became a more serious presidential candidate, someone said “hey, we need to fix this, because it looks like this guy Rezko bought the yard for your house.” But whether I am right or wrong about that, there is little doubt the press has been covering for Obama on this one. This guy Rezko is about to bring down the governor of Illinois because of corruption. And it is just a coincidence that he has this relationship with Obama? Let’s have a national discussion.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/1/29/105154/627
4:51 pm
I too am sceptical that any of this will matter to the MSM, or the public, after The Messiah’s election. I can only hope that some segments out there will find some smoking gun that the MSM can’t ignore, even if they want to. They reported the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal only because they were smoked out by Drudge (where’s he been on all this lately?). I pray this will begin to happen before the election, but I’m not holding my breath.
5:01 pm
If this has to wait until after the election, it will mean nothing. There will be almost zero support behind going after a recently elected President. In fact, it will probably be a huge liability for anybody who does. And even if it turned out that Obama was too much of a crook to ignore, that would give us President Biden. Pass.
5:13 pm
Why would either Blagejovich or the Messiah worry about Rezko.
The MSM is a propaganda arm of the Democratic Party and will surely play this down or cover it up completely.
And Illinois becomes ever more strongly Democratic and leftist despite decades of corrupt Democratic machine politics.
And as a New Jersey native, I would know a thing or two about living with corrupt Democratic machines that a stupid electorate keeps voting into power.
5:43 pm
If Fitz were fired – wouldn’t the people who loved him for screwing Libby have a cow? OR would they turn on him because Fitzmas didn’t include Rove?
6:31 pm
The MSM is a propaganda arm of the Democratic Party and will surely play this down or cover it up completely.
I have to laugh when I read something like the above statement. So our team is loosing and its the refs fault. Do you truly believe anyone pays much attention to this when you have a financial meltdown.
6:41 pm
Dorothy, you misunderestimate the degree to which Democrats are detached from reality.
I live in Chicago, so let me tell you a story to illustrate my point. I live in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, near Governor Rod’s home (his wife still lives there, because she refused to move to Springfield). On the northeast corner of Western and Lawrence is a block of small businesses: a store that sells prom dresses to Hispanics, another that sells soccer gear, a drug store, and a store that sells comic books. A year or so ago, the entirely block was condemned by the city. The plan was to sell the real estate to a developer to put in still more condos – to increase city tax revenues. As fine an example of the abuse of the power of eminent domain as you’ll find anywhere.
Now, remember, the alderman is a Democrat. Everyone in city government is a Democrat. The county government is run by Democrats. The state legislature is run by Democrats. Every statewide office is held by a Democrat, without exception. So, when I talked with the owner of the comic-book store about the impending loss of his business, whom did he blame? The Republicans! Why? Well, uh, because … well, because!
These people are detached from reality. They are, politically, insane. I mean that quite literally. There is no other explanation.
So, when Obama fires the US attorneys, most of the press will ignore it. A significant minority will applaud the removal of “politically tainted” attorneys. A few reporters will squawk; they’ll be ignored, while the loudest complainers will be informed by their employers that their services are no longer required said employers, with the Fairness Doctrine pending, know which side their bread is buttered on. Fitz will go on to write his memoirs. Tony Rezko will be found to have hanged himself in his cell – he’s about to become despondent, you see. And Obama, like his pal Bill ‘The Bomber’ Ayers, is about to become guilty as hell, free as a bird. What a country.
Oh, and if you think I’m exaggerating about Rezko’s impending suicide, consider that Rezko surrendered into federal custody immediately after being found guilty. In other words, he refused bail. Why do that? Well, maybe – just maybe – he didn’t want to wind up in the trunk of a stolen car in the O’Hare parking lot. And that is the Chicago way.
So, enjoy the rumors. Nothing will come of them.
7:04 pm
Very illuminating post. I always figured Chicago politics was messy, but honestly thought much of what you described here was a relic of the past.
As for whether the press will find this interesting I just say never underestimate a young reporter’s desire to be the next Woodward or Bernstein. Immortality is much more attractive than ideology.
7:24 pm
As a training ground Arkansas was small-time.
Socialism, honed by the Chicago Way, comes to the White House.
The truth will eventually come out. Clinton will be measured as a piker in comparison.
The Presidency. Diminished once again.
7:47 pm
Thinking Rezko is going to bring down Obama is a pipe dream. President Obama is the only hope Rezko’s got. This whole business is just a stall to put the Obama justice department in charge of Rezko’s sentencing.
Fitzgerald, the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, will out the day Obama is sworn in.
8:17 pm
Obama’s thrilled to see us waste our time on this crap. Focus on the fact he is Hugo Chavez’s alter ego by beating the drum for the Ayers connection. Also mob support for Pelosi’s “worker’s freedom”, union sign up scheme might wake some people up. If Obama wins, the very people voting for him are going to get screwed. All the marginal workers at Walmart come to mind. Our national sense of Irony is about to be greatly enhanced.
9:54 pm
[...] politics and the presidential election Right Wing Nut House ? REZKO SINGING: OBAMA SWEATING? ______________ tyuipos?? NAK Rivka; mother of A, N, and R & the [...]
10:53 pm
I am getting your logic man! I worked it all out just like you and I discovered that Obama is related to Kevin Bacon! Oh, and I also figured out that Cindy McCain’s father had an affair with JOhn McCain’s mother…but I am not too sure about that calculation…...but I am sure Michelle Malkin can sort it all out for me.
11:39 pm
Tominsti,
Ready to be Obama’s lap dog already? Good for you man.
12:15 am
Uneasy Lies the Head (Barack Obama) That Wears the Hollow Crown…
(or) IS HE BRIGHT ENOUGH TO REALIZEA few years ago the late, great Jack Lemmon and my favorite James Garner made a movie where they played two former Presidents who had the goods on a plot to take out the current POTUS played by Dan Ackroyd. The punch …
10:29 am
Singing, eh? Well, one thing is sure, if Hussein is elected, Rezko will die in jail of natural causes just as Jim McDougal did.
7:20 pm
I can not believe Barack Obama is even a candidate for POTUS. With his baggage he could not be elected to the town council in my small town. Frankly, he probably could not get high security clearance for a job in the US Dept of Homeland Security – probably could not be a secret service agent.
Did Obama ever take up a friendship with an honest, ordinary type person. Does not seem that way.
3:19 pm
[...] Or else you can just rest assured that Obama will eventually be arrested for the heinous crime of winning an election in Chicago. Or maybe you can head to the pawn shop and stock up on firearms, as all sensible Americans are [...]
4:36 am
I think your names says it all – rightwingnuthouse! LOL! Please show me some facts, rather than building on one insuniation on other! This way I can relate McCain to Nazi’s or Saddam Hussein – oops, he is already related.
10:32 am
“...merely caught up in Chicago business as usual.” Are you offering that as some kind of lame excuse for Obama’s shady connections? Then we should be electing Richie Daley as president of the U.S.
3:02 pm
“29Brown Line Said: ... I live in Chicago …”
And I think your succinct description of the reality of Chicago politics shows you’ve been paying attention (be careful there).
The delightful thing about Chicago politics is, someone is ALWAYS being investigated, but not for the reasons non-initiates might think. There must always be the pretense that everyone is liable to be prosecuted. The reason for this is two-fold: To keep the masses quelled with the false belief that “something” is always being done about corruption, and to instill fear into, well, everyone involved, since they know the hammer can be brought down at any time if anyone gets out of line. Another reason, of course, is to actually bring that hammer down on their “enemies,” who are no more corrupt than themselves, but this satisfies the two aforementioned purposes of “investigations” in Chicago-style politics.
So unless the powers-that-be intend to throw Obama under the bus, he will remain untouched by ANY investigations. The investigations will continue, so as to instill the “possibility” that Obama is at risk, but as long as Obama owes so much to so many people, and as long as he does not intend to throw THEM under the bus, they NEED him up there. No point in getting your claws into someone then allowing that person to fall.
Man, that sounds so paranoid, but I lived in Chicago long enough to know that it is not.
6:32 pm
[...] it turns out that not only did Obama do favours for convicted Chicago fraudster Tony Rezko, but as this story reports Alexi Giannoulias, who reputedly bankrolled Michael ‘Jaws’ Giorango, a Chicagoan twice [...]