He ain't seen nothing yet !! Money from another Hussein...Saddam

It does not matter if he had a press call about this matter before with different reporters; that does releive him of his duty to answer the questions of the reporters today in San Antonio. I would think that he should think again before an Investigator Reporter does research and statistics on him. Obama, answering reporters would be in Obama's favor. However, time will tell as Rezko continue. Obama is a "footnote" in this trial and he should not forget and answer any an all questions that any reporter has.

He ain't seen nothing yet !! Money from another Hussein...Saddam

Posted by: Don B. | March 3, 2008 5:29 PM

Donny Walnuts,

You mean the Saddam WHO IS ALREADY DEAD?...is that who you're talking about?

Dude, you really need to take off your KKK hood and quit getting all of your info from the National Enquirer.

he´s going down with his friend Rezko!!

Looks like the politician that claims to be above it all may be more crooked than William Jefferson (D-LA.)

IMPEACH OBAMA!

Paulo

What I'd like to know is why no one in the press is asking how the Clinton's managed to make 50 million in the last 8 year but they continue to press this story which appears to have just about run its course.

"Obama blamed the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton for pushing the story, something it has done in repeated news releases.

Obama refused to say how many fundraisers Rezko held for him or who attended.

"These requests, I think, can just go on forever," he said. "What we've just tried to do is respond to what's pertinent."

"If there are additional questions, we'll be happy to answer them," he said.

He then recognized a local reporter who changed the subject.

As the news conference came to an end and reporters continued to shout questions about Rezko, Obama said it was time to move on. "We're running late," he said."

This has legs. The almighty one seems real nervous about this whole thing. Hopefully the media keeps digging, there is definately some dirt there if he refuses to answer questions about how many fundraisers Rezko had for him. The fact that he donated some of his contributions to charity means nothing, he still accepted it and used it.

He gave an honest answer..the press doesnt like the answer because there is no scandal there.

Asked and answered. Too bad this campaign isn't a court of law. Obama has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He has been up-front about his interactions with the defendant. The only reason reporters ask him about this is that dirt sells. When they can't find any, they keep looking in the same places anyway, thinking that the fact that they're looking is an interesting story.

I'm curious to know what Chicago reporters descended on Obama, and to what publication or organization they were affiliated with. The Tribune (albeit my paper of choice) is infamously known for it's more conservative stance, favoring the Republican side of the aisle. However, it must be said that I have seen more than a fair share of unbiased articles as well from them about the hometown favorite, so I can't outright accuse them of ambushing him. Still, I can't chalk it merely up to coincidence that Rezko's trial is occurring during one of the most critical stages of the Democratic race the day before Texas's primary, so you'll forgive me if I don't think that the Good Old Boy state isn't somehow trying to throw another fastball at the head of Barack, who has been the attention-getter, especially in the McCain camp.

More deception from Obama.

First - Obama claimed he barely knew Rezko.
Then we learned that for years he'd funded Obama's political career.
Then we learned Obama and Rezko toured Obama's home together before he bought it.

Obama is a con.

None of this matters a bit. Obama supporters are so willfully blind that they'll vote for him no matter what. They don't care that his best friend and biggest fundraiser was a slum landlord; to them, that doesn't reflect on him at all, even though he claims to be all about helping the poor. They don't care that he touts his 'judgement' in being against a war he never voted against ( nor for ), but openly admits to being 'bone-headed'.

They just don't care about anything but his pretty words, and his pretty smile. God help us.

Don B you probably believe he carries the Koran over his heart, was swore in on the Koran an is a mole for Al qaeda! Rezko gave every Illinois pol money and as soon as Barack realized why the lot next to his house was a problem he disposed of it. Even if you believe this is a problem show that Barack did anything for Rezko. You can't.
This may be a political season but stooping to innuendo based on a name given to you by your father??
What if your name was Tony? Are you mafia?

Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!

Rezko is a stain that a little Whitewater can't wash away...

About time the media starts to show this man's true colors. He is trying to deflect and not keep up with his promises. Like campaign finance. W

This is SO overblown! Karl Rove politics Clinton-style!What about HER doner who is up on SEXUAL HARRASMENT charges from 100's of Women? Where are HWER tax returns...in an effort to compensate for perceived bias, the Media has swung TOO far...

Obama isn't mentioned anywhere in the Rezko indictment. No story anywhere has produced any evidence of any favors or other wrongdoing by Obama. He's returned the approximately $150,000 Rezko raised for him. The reason no one's raised this issue is because there is no issue to raise.

This is much the same muckraking that happened when Norman Hsu (a "HillRaiser") went to jail. Clinton returned about $850,000 in donations Hsu bundled for her. This is also a non-issue, unless anyone can demonstrate that she did anything improper. What about the $170,000 in donations she WON'T return from IPA (a company currently entangled in seven-year EEOC lawsuit involving 103 separate charges of sexual harassment against female employees)?

I understand why the Tribune is pressing Obama on Rezko. But Clinton is obviously pressing a double standard here. Shouldn't she "denounce and reject" those IPA donations, the way Obama clearly has rejected the Rezko donations?

Reads like he is doing the Chicago Obama two-step to the questions? Maybe Obama can release the questions and answers from the 06 Waukegan press conference to the rest of the US? We want to know it all...

I am pretty sure that Carol Marin won't be getting too many invites to tour the West Wing if/when Obama wins. For that matter, I would guess that she won't get too many exclusives with either Illinos Senator even if he loses.

Dignity and Pride is what Obama supporters see. The same Dirty Politics is what we see in HILARY. I'm losing respect for her and she needs to stop the negativity. Her camp is sickening!!

Actually, I'd agree with Obama. I saw the Rezko story early last year, and followed it very closely to try and determine exactly what happened. I read many local Chicago articles on it, maybe as many as 30 or 40 (finally stopped because they were boring because they just kept saying the same thing over and over). The only negative things were really just speculation and innuendo and the objective articles that were written (thank heavens there were some) explained in great details what exactly had happened, which all seemed very plausible to me, having dabbled in real estate a bit myself.
I hope this issue doesn't get magnified as much as the Whitewater stuff was for Hillary, which in the end was a waste of everybody's time to keep re-hashing, as this will be too. If it is, it will likely be the suspicious fear-mongers in the country who will keep pushing it in our faces with the usual distortions, half-truths and outright lies.

I find it annoying that Hillary was the one who was victimized about Whitewater, but yet I've heard her throw this up several times, and I'm sure with her "35 years of experience", she knows exactly what she's doing, and that this issue is much ado about nothing. That's another reason I don't much care for her anymore, it shows lack of integrity.

I clearly remember Obama saying he did not know 'that individual' when Hillary brought up the Rezko connection 3 debates ago! Obama said, the only connection he had with 'that individual' was he'd done 5 hours of work for a law firm he worked for at the time.

Now he's saying: "Tony Rezko was a friend and supporter of mine for many years…He supported not just me, but many Democrats and Republicans."

WOW another bold face lie to the public. I guess he assumes no one will remember what he says anyway.

There�s been a huge amount of misinformation and rumor about Barack Obama�s dealings with Tony Rezko. This is not a new story. At the first Democratic debate in 2007, Brian Williams of NBC asked Obama about his connections to Rezko. The same thing happened on ABC�s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. But it�s a complex set of charges, and a lot of details have been falsely reported on blogs and in the mainstream press.

Here are 10 myths debunked about Obama and Rezko:

Myth #1: Obama did legal work for Rezko

Claim: Hillary Clinton during a debate denounced Obama for "representing your contributor, Rezko, in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago."

The truth: According to Factcheck.org, "Obama was associated with a law firm that represented the community groups working with Rezko on several deals. There's no evidence that Obama spent much time on them, and he never represented Rezko directly. So it was wrong for Clinton to say he was �representing ... Rezko.� That's untrue."

Myth #2: Obama knew Rezko was a slumlord

Claim: The Chicago Sun-Times reported that in 1997, Rezko�s company failed to turn the heat back on in one of his buildings, while giving $1,000 to Obama�s campaign fund.

The truth: There�s no evidence that Obama knew about problems with Rezko�s buildings. A state senator doesn�t deal with tenant complaints, and the Chicago newspapers never reported on Rezko�s problems as a landlord until after he was indicted. According to the Chicago Tribune, "in the years before 2005, Rezko enjoyed a reputation in Illinois as an up-and-coming, even enlightened entrepreneur with a strong interest in the risky low-income and affordable housing markets." http://www.chicagotribune.com/...

Myth #3: Obama underpaid for his house in a deal with Rezko

Claim: Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote: "Rezko paid more than the asking price for the side lot, and Obama paid less than the asking price for the big house. It�s the Chicago way." Kass claimed that Rezko was "Obama's Real Estate Fairy" and this is "the story of the dream house the Obamas wanted and couldn't quite afford and how the Rezkos helped."

The truth: None of this is true. The seller decided to divide the lot in offering it for sale, not Obama or Rezko. Rezko had paid the list price for his lot, not an excessive amount (as the resale value later proved). The owner reportedly had already been offered $625,000 for the side lot, so Rezko didn�t offer any more money and there was no way Obama could have gotten a special deal this way. The only special arrangement Rezko provided was selling the two lots on the same day, which simplified matters for the seller. Obama paid $1.65 million for a house originally priced at $1.95 million. His was the higher of two bids for the main property. It�s not unusual at all in the Chicago real estate business to see a 15 percent price cut on an expensive house that�s been on the market for four months. Nor is it unusual that a vacant lot next door would sell to a condo developer without such a discount. In the Hyde Park market, there are a lot of upper-middle-class residents making six figures, but not very many millionaires (it�s not Lincoln Park or the Gold Coast). Therefore, a pricey mansion is very difficult to sell, while a $300,000 townhouse is very common.

Myth #4: Rezko�s lot was a front (yard) deal

Claim: One blogger declared it was "a $925,000 favor to a sitting US Senator" because "the Rezko property was never intended to be a separate piece of land."

The truth: It�s insane to think that Obama arranged for Rezko to buy the lot as his front yard, and never intended for anyone to develop it. If Obama had arranged such a deal, it would be crazy for him to spend $104,500 to buy part of the land from Rezko. There is not even the slightest evidence to support this notion.

Myth #5: Obama underpaid (or overpaid) for the slice of Rezko�s lot

Claim: John Kass declared: "Obama�s appraiser told him the fair market value of that slice was $40,500. Since that�s one-sixth of the Rezko side, it means Rezko paid $625,000 for property that was actually worth $243,000. That would make Rezko a complete fool. But he�s no fool." Fox News Channel incorrectly reported that Rezko "sold half that lot to Obama for 1/3 its original value."

The truth: The appraiser was clearly wrong (probably basing the low value on the fact that 1/6th of the lot was too small for any house, which would dramatically reduce its value standing alone). That�s why Obama decided to buy 1/6th of Rezko�s lot for 1/6th of what Rezko paid for it ($104,500). A year after the 10-foot-wide strip of land was sold to Obama, a Rezko business associate bought the rest of the lot for $575,000, resulting in a profit for the Rezkos of $54,000 from the two land sales. This sale proved that Obama paid fair market value for his portion of the land.

Myth #6: Obama hasn�t returned all the money linked to Rezko�s donations

Claim: The Chicago Sun-Times accused Obama of downplaying the $50,000�$60,000 in donations he received from Rezko (Rezko, before his legal troubles started, had cohosted a fundraiser for Obama). The newspaper claimed the actual amount was $168,000.

The truth: The Sun Times came up with that figure by counting every donation to Obama from anyone ever associated with Rezko, even if there was no evidence Rezko prompted the donation. Obama donated additional money to charity, but he�s under no obligation (legal or even moral) to return every dollar ever linked to Rezko. If you play a game of "six degrees of separation" with Rezko, he�s linked to almost every politician in Chicago.

Myth #7: Rezko had a special relationship with Obama

Claim: The Clinton campaign denounces "Sen. Obama's 17-year relationship with the indicted influence peddler."

The truth: Rezko attached himself to lots of politicians. Rezko donated money to every major Democratic politician in Illinois, then helped organize a $3.5 million fundraiser for President George W. Bush in 2003. After giving large campaign donations to Democratic Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, Rezko arranged to have his buddies appointed by Blagojevich to state boards such as the Teachers� Retirement System Board and the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. With his friend Stuart Levine, Rezko threatened to hold up a $220 million deal to invest teachers� pension fund money unless $2 million was paid to Levine or $1.5 million was donated to Blagojevich�s campaign. Rezko and Levine also demanded a $1 million cut from a developer to build a hospital. Rezko was indicted for pretending to sell his Papa John�s pizza restaurants while secretly maintaining control of them, and fraudulently using the transaction to get $10 million in loans. It is Blagojevich, not Obama, who did favors for Rezko. Rezko�s eye for scouting political talent was amazing, but he did not capitalize on Obama�s influence. Obama said he had known Rezko for twenty years and "he had never asked me for anything. I�ve never done any favors for him."

Myth #8: Obama did favors for Rezko

Claim: Chicago Sun-Times revealed that in 1998, Obama wrote a letter endorsing a low-income housing development for which Rezko was a codeveloper. As the Sun-Times put it, "NOT A FAVOR? As a state senator, he went to bat for now-indicted developer�s deal." Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass wrote, "No favors? When you transcend politics and walk on water, I guess it all depends on what your definition of favor is."

The truth: The common definition of a favor in this context is a political action done in exchange for donations. Rezko�s lawyer reported that Rezko had not asked Obama to write the letter. Instead, Obama (along with a local state representative and an alderman) endorsed the project because it had widespread community support. It�s difficult to imagine any politician on the south side of Chicago who wouldn�t have a routine letter written to endorse government funding for affordable housing and social services for low-income senior citizens in that area. When it came to political influence, Obama didn�t do any favors for Rezko. The Chicago Tribune reported, "when Rezko pushed for passage in Springfield of a major gambling measure, Obama vocally opposed it."

Myth #9: Obama should have known about Rezko�s sleazy background

Claim: The Chicago Tribune, although endorsing Obama, wrote: "His assertion in network TV interviews last week that nobody had indications Rezko was engaging in wrongdoing strains credulity: Tribune stories linked Rezko to questionable fundraising for Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2004."

The truth: At the time Obama bought his house, there was no public indication of Rezko�s problems. When Obama bought a small strip of Rezko�s land in 2006, rumors were swirling around Chicago that the federal government was investigating Rezko, but he wasn�t indicted until October 2006. The Tribune stories before 2006 reveal that Rezko was a tightly connected political player, but the evidence of criminal misconduct wasn�t proven.

Myth #10: Obama hasn�t been forthcoming about his mistakes with Rezko

Claim: The Chicago Tribune editorialized, "Obama has been too self-exculpatory."

The truth: Obama has been honest about the mistake he made, and the fact that Rezko was trying to buy future influence with him. Obama declared, "I am the first one to acknowledge that it was a boneheaded move for me to purchase this 10-foot strip from Rezko, given that he was already under a cloud of concern. I will also acknowledge that from his perspective, he no doubt believed that by buying the piece of property next to me that he would, if not be doing me a favor, it would help strengthen our relationship." Obama�s mistake was in allowing the appearance of impropriety. He never actually did anything wrong. And that�s the key issue here.

Despite all of these rumors about Obama and Rezko, none of the evidence indicates any actual wrongdoing. Conservative Republican Tom Bevan called the evidence against Obama "pretty darn weak." Conor Clarke of the New Republic reported that Obama�s real estate deal with Rezko was a "nonscandal." According to Clarke, "journalists have followed the smoke and haven�t found the fire. At that point, accusing someone of something that looks wrong stops making sense."

If McCain and the Repubs want to try and make an issue out of this non-issue, that's fine because it will give everyone a chance to take a good look at McCain's past involvement in the Keating scandel and his claim that he's the only candidate who doesn't do favors for special interest groups when in fact he has 52 lobbyists working for his campaign and one of them does lobbyist business out of the back of McCain's campaign bus...the bus McCain calls the "Straight-Talk Express".

I think this is about as enlightening as the McCain story in the New York Times late last month. This thing has been reported to death, and if there's no evidence of wrongdoing, then the responsible journalistic thing to do would be to move on. The journalists here, and the Times journalists in the McCain story, are trying to fabricate a "scoop" out of thin air. The Trib has dogged this story for literally YEARS now, and uncovered nothing of any moment. I'm not one to excuse corruption, but neither am I one to stomach the continued dragging of the names of honorable men through the mud just so people can push papers.

It's nice to see that the Wingnuts on here ("Vinny", college Republican Jeffy, Donny B Walnuts) still don't let facts get in the way of their hatred of Senator Obama.

I'd be disappointed if they did because then I wouldn't be able to mock them....

Yes, please do make an issue out of Rezko you stupid Republiscums, we want you to.

McCain, Founding Member of the Keating Five
Back in the old days, defendants in famous trials got numbers -- the Chicago Eight, the Gang of Four, the Dave Clark Five, the Daytona 500. McCain was one of the "Keating Five," congressmen investigated on ethics charges for strenuously helping convicted racketeer Charles Keating after he gave them large campaign contributions and vacation trips.
Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion. His convictions were overturned on technicalities; for example, the federal conviction was overturned because jurors had heard about his state conviction, and his state charges because Judge Lance Ito (yes, that judge) screwed up jury instructions. Neither court cleared him, and he faces new trials in both courts.)

Though he was not convicted of anything, McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,00 in contributions. In the mid-1980s, McCain made at least 9 trips on Keating's airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating's luxurious retreat in the Bahamas. McCain's wife and father-in-law also were the largest investors (at $350,000) in a Keating shopping center; the Phoenix New Times called it a "sweetheart deal."

Mafia ties:
In 1995, McCain sent birthday regards, and regrets for not attending, to Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonano, the head of the New York Bonano crime family, who had retired to Arizona. Another politician to send regrets was Governor Fife Symington, who has since been kicked out of office and convicted of 7 felonies relating to fraud and extortion.

McCain fun facts:
http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm

Maybe now Hillary will stop whining about the media is so unfair

Hillary doesn't care about this story either. Other than she's hoping it will get a some votes.

The fact that Rezko is on trial and that Obama is not implicated in any wrong doing is actually a plus for Obama.

Anybody know if Hillary's co-campaign Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa returned the money he
received from Rezko?

Can anyone really explain how knowing whether Rezko held one or 1,000 fundraisers can really make a difference without linking the fundraisers to wrongdoing on Obama's part????? I doubt it.
There's not a reporter in the United States who wouldn't love to break one the story of an illegal or unethical connection between Obama and Rezko. So far, no luck. Without credible evidence of wrongdoing, it's time to talk about something else...

OK, this may play in Chicago, or in Illinois where our governors end up doing time. But do we want another lifetime politician promising change, but doing business as usual?? I wish the media would just ask him what his plan to make changes are instead of dealing with him as a rock star He's no Kennedy he's more Milli Vanilli

Hang on American the real Obama is coming to life through Tony Rezko and the Governor of Illinois.

Why wouldn't he answer the question?

Do any of you Obama supporters honestly think he's being totally open here? Why not just answer the question -- "Rezko hosted X fundraisers on my behalf" -- and get it over with? If you can look beyond your blind faith in this guy, you'll see that he's obviously attempting to hide something here. It may be nothing, but he obviously doesn't think so, or he wouldn't dance around like he did today.

Please, don't tell me I need to move on. This is serious, and him just getting upset and walking out, shows how unfit he is. These are questions that HE needs to answer. AND YES, he is in the indictment. He is listed as the unamed political figure that recieved 10,000 dollars in kickbacks. He claims he doesn't know about. Well sorry, I don't believe you. You knew this man and he shows up at your door with 10,000 dollars and you just say, thanks! HELLO! He is not going to get by on this. It is too important.

It's not a question of legal or illegal. It is a question of ethics and trust. O has changed his story until the real story is now known. He made a serious bad judgement call because of greed. We cannot trust him to run this country.

Hey GOPer's, if you were going to reley on a dirty name calling campaign against Barack Obama you shouldn't have nominated a crooked old man like John McCain/Bush because not only do the Dems hate him, he also has major problems with people within his own Republican Party who don't like him.

GET IN LINE LITTLE REPUBLICAN SHEEP...because we're gonna swiftboat you about 10x worse than you swiftboated John Kerry in 2004!

McCAIN FUN FACTS:

McCain Loan Could Violate Donor Privacy
http://www.politico.com:80/news/stories/0108/7837.html

McLame's Immigration Insanity
http://www.borderfirereport.net:80/letters-from-readers/mclames-immigration-insanity.html

Video: Liebs says McCain did not support amnesty for illegal aliens
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/01/05/video-liebs-says-mccain-did-not-support-amnesty-for-illegal-aliens

McCain: "We Are Not Going To Build Fences And Barriers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5G3kH1PvvU

Tom DeLay Disses McCain, Calls New Hampshire Win ‘A Blip’
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com:80/2008/01/09/tom-delay-disses-mccain-calls-new-hampshire-win-a-blip/

John McCain and Our Second Amendment
http://www.gunowners.org/pres08/mccain.htm

John McCain's Skeleton Closet
http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm#keating

The Conservative Case Against McCain
http://thenextprez.blogspot.com/2005/12/conservative-case-against-mccain.html

A Vote For McCain Is A Vote For Amnesty, Open Borders and Never Building A Fence
http://www.rightwingnews.com/mt331/2008/01/a_vote_for_john_mccain_is_a_vo.php

#%&@# You McCain's Unstable Temper Raises More Doubt from Arizona News ( This site will not post actual title. Search Arizona News for John McCain. It's worth the effort to find it. )

Conservative Group Campaigns Against McCain: He's No Ronald Reagan
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Conservative_group_campaigns_again_McCain_Hes_0301.html

Former Senator Rick Santorum sees a lot of problems with John McCain's credentials
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/transcripts/Transcript.aspx?ContentGuid=e96c3803-c542-4a57-98bd-68635a744540&comments=true

John McCain's Temper Preceded Vietnam
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/8/30/123006.shtml

John McCain's Record of Economic Issues
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2007/03/arizona_senator_john_mccains_t.php

McCain Would Vote Against The Bush Tax Cuts All Over Again
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/301ccb6c-32b0-4ba7-8330-68d560f67dd8

McCains Stand On Detainees May Pose Risk For 2008 Bid
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/18/AR2006091801353.html

Democrats Contributed Heavily To McCain's Effort in District 11 Election
http://www.azconservative.org/McCain_Discord.htm

The Conservative Case Against Huckabee And McCain
http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/019929f6-5799-479e-a86b-e2e2601330ab

McCain Walks Into Conservative Clothesline
http://www.baltimoregroupblog.com/2007/03/19/mccain-walks-into-conservative-clothes-line/

John McCain Is No Hero
http://www.usvetdsp.com/bengmcan.htm

U.S. Senator John McCain Is No War Hero
http://www.namvets.com/Reading/john_mccain_is_no_war_hero.htm

Flashback: The Real John McCain
http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/43aba933-6972-4a36-a25f-a2973e69e4ee

Wife of POW Navy Pilot, Who Had Husband's Remains Sent Home By North Vietnamese in 1989, Was Lied to by U.S. Officials For Years About His Whereabouts And POW Status
http://www.arcticbeacon.com/articles/31-oct-2005.html

Defending America by David Hackworth
http://www.hackworth.com/25jan00.html

IT'S TIME TO GIVE THE U.S. ARMY A GOOD SHAKE
http://www.hackworth.com/19nov01.html

Why Vietnam Vets Split on McCain
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_12_16/ai_61487324

Luck Of The Admiral's Son Not For "Grunts"
http://www.usvetdsp.com/smith_mc.htm

ARIZONA'S JOHN McCAIN: A Fraud, "Rhinestone Hero," and National Security Risk
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/mccain.html

MSNBC questions McCain's temper; Reporter says McCain vexes Senate colleagues
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/MSNBC_Does_McCains_temper_hurt_presidential_0707.html

Obama "grilled" by reporters?

Reporters are Obama's core constituency. It's like Bill Clinton "grilling" Hillary.

Two golden rules about Obama
1. Obama is God. He can do no wrong.

2. If anybody says he did wrong, see rule number 1.

The fact that Obama is not accused of any wrongdoing with Resko is a minute point right now.

The fact is, Obama painted himself in a corner in attempt to contrast himself from Clinton, calling himself an agent for change and above Washington politics.

However, he's showing himself to be just as cagey as Clinton when it comes to answering questions that he's uncomfortable with.

He's been given a smooth ride from the media so far with the softball questions. If he wants to be President, he's going to answer even tougher questions than the ones he's answering now.

Judging by the way he cannot answer these questions that should be straightforward, he's not equipped to handle the stress of being President.

If Obama had been straight with the voters and just said that he brings a fresh face to the scene and not this change from regular politicking, I believe it would be different.

I don't think Obama voters are stupid, I voted for him.

But I do believe if they continue to back him after learning everything we have learned recently, then they will not be thinking smart.

JohnKWilson has made a joke of himself by posting that diatribe from the Obama website on every thread about Rezko.

He seriously wants you, the voter, to believe that the corruption trial of the man who singlehandedly backed, nurtured and supported Obama since before he even finished law school will only be a minor, virtually insignificant distraction not even worth writing about. Right.

The fact still remains that this is the first time reporters have really gotten him to address the issue. Why? Maybe because the Obama campaign is the most cynical and protective of the candidate. No other campaign limits access like Obama's does. What's he hiding? McCain gives on the record interviews between stops. Even Hillary talks with reporters on the record when they're travelling together. But not Obama.

This, coupled with the honeymoon most reporters have been having with their favorite candidate, has produced the cakewalk he's had to date. But now the reporters are asking the hard questions. Look at how Obama squirms when it's not all good stuff he's being asked about.

Obama's silence will keep this story alive and kicking.

if a problem show that Barack did anything for Rezko. You can't.
Posted by: Richard Foulkes | March 3, 2008 6:07 PM

Richard: Perhaps you may find some of these words below as interesting as i did. Keep in mind the trial just started today, a lot of people already pled, that usually means there are guilty above them.
In regards to the Koran i don't recall speaking to it , i guess you were just trying to be a little funny and cute, unless you have a reading and a comprehension problem.

Monday, March 3, 2008
Follow the Money: Batchelor: Rezko Connections: More Questions for Obama
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) regarding his relationship with his patron, indicted political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, and Rezko's former business partner and former classmate, Aiham Alsammarae who was sentenced October 2006 in Iraq for the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraqi reconstruction funds.
However, Batchelor has provided significant new information, as well as raising some new questions. Last week, an Iraqi government official told Batchelor:
We want [Alsammarae] back to serve his sentence of fourteen years, ... He stole $650 million from the people of Iraq, and from the people of the United States, and he was tried and convicted in an Iraqi court in October 2006 for his crimes. We have a four-inch-thick file of his crimes. He plundered the Ministry of Electricity. Dates, bank accounts, dummy companies, a lot of them in the States. We want him, and we want the money back."

When asked why an American citizen with a dual Iraqi citizenship, who had served as the Iraqi Minister of Electricity from 2003 to 2005, after being convicted in an Iraqi court was living openly in Chicago in 2008 rather than in Abu Ghraib, the official said, "That's what we want to know. Armed men broke him out of jail in the Green Zone. He escaped without his U.S. passport to Amman, Jordan, where he hid in the U.S. Embassy, and then to Turkey, where he called us up and bragged he had pizza and a cold beer in his hotel room. We've asked the FBI to help us. They sent us to Interpol. We filed a report. And nothing. It's been a year. We want him back."
The questionable involvement of Obama and his staffer Seamus Ahern at Obama's Moline, Illinois, office regarding Rezko's proposed power plant in Iraq and the plans for a training facility in Illinois for Iraqi security guards raises questions for Sen. Obama:
In addition, in April 2005, one month before Mr. Alsammarae left his post, his Ministry of Electricity signed a contract for $50 million with Companion Security to provide training to Iraqis to guard electrical plants by flying them to Illinois for classes.

Companion Security was headed by a former Chicago policeman with a troubled history, Daniel T. Frawley, in partnership with Mr. Rezko and in association with Daniel Mahru, the lawyer for the original contract and Mr. Rezko's former business partner. In April 2006, Mr. Frawley entered negotiations with Governor Rod Blagojevich's staff to lease a military facility in Illinois to be a training camp. In August 2006, Mr. Frawley started negotiations with Mr. Obama's U.S. Senate staff to complete the contract.

The discussions with Mr. Obama's staff continued over many months, including e-mails and conferences with an Obama staffer, Seamus Ahern. Questions raised by this contact go to the issue of whether or not Mr. Obama ever favored Mr. Rezko's commercial ties. Mr. Obama has said often that he performed no favors for Mr. Rezko.

The timeline of Companion discussions in 2006 is important to note: April 2006 Frawley speaks to governor's office; August 2006 Frawley speaks to senator's office; October 2006 indictment of Rezko revealed; October 2006 Rezko arrested upon return from Syria; October 2006 Alsammarae convicted in Baghdad and makes his first escape attempt; December 2006 Alsammarae escapes from Baghdad.

Did Mr. Obama's staff and Governor Blagojevich's staff not know how these events related to their discussions with Mr. Frawley? Importantly both Governor Blagojevich's office and Mr. Obama's office later explained they did not know of the link between Mr. Frawley and Mr. Rezko. Senate staffs are expected to perform due diligence on inquiries, such as is this matter about campaign contributions or unsavory activity. What was the nature of Mr Obama's staff's inquiry into the Ilinois resident Mr. Frawley's ability to secure a contract with the CPA's Ministry of Electricity in Bagdad from April, 2005?

Myth:

Obama clearly stated he DID not know 'That Individual' in the debate... in front of millions of Americans.

He said he only did 5 hours work for him indirectly.

Today he's saying Rezko's been a good friend for many years!

He got caught in another bold faced LIE.

It's great that he is such a good guy that the press has to scrape the bottom of the barrel to try to create some controversy. He has admitted to doing the one land deal and hasn't tried to deny it. Speaking of land deals, didn't the Clinton's have a little something called Watergate involving some seriously shady land deals. Let's bring that up since it actually involved illegal activities by the them. They have a long history of crooked deals and I should know as I am an Arkansas native that is well aware of their shady past. I am not 100% for obama, but he is 10 times less shady than hilary

You mean the Saddam WHO IS ALREADY DEAD?...is that who you're talking about?
Posted by: John Hussein E | March 3, 2008 5:47 PM

The very same one John Everdumb, you're usually a couple of days behind the news cycle, don't worry you'll probably catch up with it.
One of the problems with being a DNC hack is you can't stay on top of breaking news, you're too busy singing.

How this all turns out to be Hillary Clinton's fault is way beyond me. How does something that obama has done prior to becoming a presidential candidate have anything to do with Hillary Clinton? How can he, when challenged on prior behavor, turn this around and say its Hillary's fault?
You know in the last few weeks of this campaign, I've been reading a lot of real nonsense regarding the Clintons, but this is beginning to take the cake. Obama pushed with his back to the wall, blames Hillary Clinton and then changes the subject with we have to go we are running late.
WHAT A FREAKIN COWARD.

You are all so vocal about your oppinion.... the ones against OBAMA wrote just hateful stupid insults ...the others though out their writings and go in depth of the matter.... Duuuuuuhhhh! we are the thinkers of this century.... lets think ..WE Go VOTE!

My question to Obama, why did his organization that he was the Director on give money to the PLO, a terrorist organization, more than once?

My second question is that there is a friendship that has lasted 10 years with an accused american terrorist that was involved in trying to bomb the pentagon in 1972, as well has succeeding in other bombings around the world? This is fact both have contributed to his campaign.

www.jewishpress.com

I want my questions answered. Rhetoric means nothing to me, facts do!

OBAMA is our future. This will be the greatest thing to our country since JFK.

FREE TONY REZKO

FREE TONY REZKO

Middle eastern money? Was any of Rezko's money from Syria or Iraq? Was he contributing money that was derived from someone else with Iraqi interests? Why make contributions to a United States presidential candidate? Is anyone else intersted in identifying the source of money from past campaign funds? Who's money did the candidate use to rise up through the political food chain?Some more questions need to be asked.

Like Rezko, Obama is a con man. Nothing more.

Barack Obama has to be held to a higher standard because of his own lofty rhetoric.

If you assume a "holier than thou" posture, you'd better be cleaner than the driven snow.

People are rightfully more outraged when a clergyman is caught in a sex scandal than when a greengrocer is caught in a sex scandal because of the hypocrisy involved.

Obama has put himself in the position of the clergyman above reproach.

But now the Obama "Change" bit is beginning to look a little strained as the public begins to get a glimpse of his Chicago pol business as usual.

It's probably a good idea for the Dems to keep Hillary in the race as they could find themselves saddled with a very unsalable nominee as the Rezko matter continues to unfold.

The problem is compounded by the fact that nationally Chicago has a very unsavory reputation and the national electorate is not likely to give a Chicago pol the benefit of the doubt.

McCain has no business throwing mud at ANYONE let alone Barack Obama...

John McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, and yet he said "I'm the only one the special interests don't give any money to."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gEROVh8zK4

John McBush is going to have a hard time smearing anyone with his track record.

Get off the "double talk express", McCain!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI

Obama ducked this issue this monring in an interview on "Good Morning America." There's more on "Nightline" tonight, I guess. Terry Moran kept asking him if he'd release the document; Obama kept giving an answer to deflect it; Terry Moran kept coming back to it. I think he even asked Obama WHY he wouldn't release them and Obama said he's already said everything he needs to.

Well, no, he hasn't. First there were $60,000 or so in donations he returned. Then when the Sun-Times did more digging it was "oops! We found some more!" We found out only a few weeks ago that not only were the transactions kind of suspicious (and the buyers won't talk, by the way, nor will the real estate agent), but Obama and Rezko toured the house together.

I am not an Obama supporter, but I also don't think Obama necessarily did anything wrong. I DO think there are unaswnered questions here. And I DO think that somewhere down the road, a bill would have come due from Rezko. Rezko was courting the up-and-comer for a reason: access to power, is a likelihood.

To those of you who wonder about the long and boring posts of John Hussein e and JohnKWilson that nobody reads, they are" singers" for the Democratic party they get a small stipend to influence peoples' thoughts about the empty suit Mr. Obama. They are trying to run the clock out before Mr. Obama has to answer some tough questions...the only problem is the clock ain;t going to run for another 8 months.

I don't think this whole issue is really that important. If he hasn't done anything illegal, then let it rest. I think the issues are important, and not dancing around them. Not giving flowery talks. Let's get down to the real issues, not side stepping.

There's another 8 months left in this campaign and it's going to get nasty. One...a left wing socialist leaning lib with no portfolio, and two, a pseudo lib and born again conservative. Obama's a phoney but I'm afraid McCain is not far behind. Sad, but I'll take my chances with McCain.

JUST THINK, OBAMA'S FIRST PARDON! TONY REZKO! CLEARING THE WAY FOR MAKING HIM PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY. PERHAPS HE CAN GET SOME OF THAT MYSTERIOUS LEBANESE MONEY FOR CHICAGO DEMOCRATS!

Barack Obama has to be held to a higher standard because of his own lofty rhetoric.

If you assume a "holier than thou" posture, you'd better be cleaner than the driven snow.

Posted by: politwriter | March 3, 2008 7:51 PM

My point exactly. If more people realized this, then the scruntiny would be understood.

You are all so vocal about your oppinion.... the ones against OBAMA wrote just hateful stupid insults ...the others though out their writings and go in depth of the matter.... Duuuuuuhhhh! we are the thinkers of this century.... lets think ..WE Go VOTE!

Posted by: laure | March 3, 2008 7:46 PM

We are questioning Obama and stating such strong opinions because he tried to make himself look like God. He's stated he's made mistakes before the campaign and it looks like he's backed off that during the campaign painting himself as the angelic one against the evil Hillary. It wasn't necessary.

Real voters appreciate honesty, and Obama has proven himself to be a liar. If he lies about simple stuff, how can we believe him when he says he will bring about change?

John K Wilson, you must be getting paid to rebute BHO's charges on websites. We are not getting paid to read them. So many said it shorter and better.

Ok, it is now time to be fair and question Hillary about David Rosen, Richard Scruggs, Norman Hsu and Peter Paul. Take a look at this site, when you get there sroll down and play the video clip..

http://www.clintonmemoriallibrary.com/clintcrimefamily.html

When will Hillary stop whining about the media is so unfair.

Hillary doesn't care about this story either. Other than she's hoping it will get her some votes.

The fact that Rezko is on trial and that Obama is not implicated in any wrong doing is actually a plus for Obama.

Anybody know if Hillary's co-campaign Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa returned the money he
received from Rezko? My guess is that this is just something a little "WHITEWATER" can remove; and what about that beautiful picture of Hillary, Rezko, and Bill??? Just another fun fact that seems to slip her mind since she and Bill just stops and take a picture with anyone...

AND Here's Some Fun Facts About Good Ole John McCain....

John McCain, Founding Member of the Keating Five
Back in the old days, defendants in famous trials got numbers -- the Chicago Eight, the Gang of Four, the Dave Clark Five, the Daytona 500. McCain was one of the "Keating Five," congressmen investigated on ethics charges for strenuously helping convicted racketeer Charles Keating after he gave them large campaign contributions and vacation trips.
Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion. His convictions were overturned on technicalities; for example, the federal conviction was overturned because jurors had heard about his state conviction, and his state charges because Judge Lance Ito (yes, that judge) screwed up jury instructions. Neither court cleared him, and he faces new trials in both courts.)

Though he was not convicted of anything, McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,00 in contributions. In the mid-1980s, McCain made at least 9 trips on Keating's airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating's luxurious retreat in the Bahamas. McCain's wife and father-in-law also were the largest investors (at $350,000) in a Keating shopping center; the Phoenix New Times called it a "sweetheart deal."

Mafia ties:
In 1995, McCain sent birthday regards, and regrets for not attending, to Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonano, the head of the New York Bonano crime family, who had retired to Arizona. Another politician to send regrets was Governor Fife Symington, who has since been kicked out of office and convicted of 7 felonies relating to fraud and extortion.

McCain fun facts:
http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm

John McCain's dealings with lobbyists have properly come under a microscope; why not Mr. Obama's? Partly, says Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, because the national media establishment has decided that Chicago's grubby politics interferes with the story line of hope they've set out for Mr. Obama. We have a sick political culture, and that's the environment Barack Obama came from," Jay Stewart, the executive director of the Chicago Better Government Association, told ABC News. He notes that, while Mr. Obama supported ethics reforms as a state senator, he has "been noticeably silent on the issue of corruption here in his home state, including at this point, mostly Democratic politicians." (WSJ 4/3/08)

"What we've just tried to do is respond to what's pertinent."

How quaint.

What a an ingenious way of telling the media (who have been more than complicit in vaulting him to rock-star status, especially this publication) just to what degree his campaign will be transparent. Perhaps Obama will be re-defining exactly what the word transparent means (in a similar fashion as a former president sought to clarify the definition of the word 'is').

He will soon be shown to be as dirty and corrupt as any other Illinois politician.

According to a very informational article by the famous journalist, Margie Burns at gather.com , the Clintons received money from the Rezko co-defendants. Rezko himself was also a donor to the dems. Do you think that Hillary and Bill will remember this?

McCain: 6 years in a Vietcong prison

Obama: 6 years in a Wisconsin prison (with Governor Ryan)

My family has been Chicago New Deal Democrats for 80 years. My family has worked for the city and county for 3 generations. As much as I see Hillary as Jane Byrne the sequel with more special interest effects I voted for her in our primary. For those who say he didn't deal with such and such because he was a state senator, you still should know what is happening in your district. In the ward offices they had officially endorsed our hometown boy Barrack, but people in power who I know, out of the public eye are saying other things about him. I can't give specifics because if something is traced to me I could lose my job and I'm near retirement. So yes I am a coward, but I will vote for Ralph Nader since I promised my Grandfather I would never vote for a Republican before I vote for Barrack. So as much as I hate the Rich Little B***h from Park Ridge, I hope she gets the nomination. If you ask me the Republicans have some dirt on Senator Obama already, but they want him to have the nomination before they say anything. If they defeat him now they still have to defeat Hillary in November, if they wait they put their warmonger in and we all lose. Go to morning mass and pray for Hillary. One last thing, when we come to your door this summer and fall with flyers please don't yell at us, we're just keeping our jobs. Thank You

Why does the Chicago media need to go to Texas to pressure Obama when that issue has been absolutely beaten to death? In Texas, which is about 80% conservative Republicans it seems, there will plenty of scribes there ready to jump all over Obama at every chance.

Yes, it does not sound like Rezko was Obama's best choice for a donor, but take a look around at the political Washington crowd and try to find one significant one who does not have one of these.

did anyone knew that the clintons use to be friends of ''REZKO''s?? and that he use to donate to their campaign???

This is not going to go away and Obama cannot pretend that it will.

After Tuesday, Obama has to have a major press conference in which he sits with the press corps and videotapes all questions and answers.

Then, he should load it up to his website so that others can see the entire interview.

His staffers should videotape the press corps walking away after they have tired of asking questions.

But Obama also needs to be direct. Some of his answers above will just not do.

"There have been no allegations that I did him favors" is the wrong answer.

His answer should be "I did no favors for him."

He CANNOT draw conclusions (i.e. "That is the extent of the story.") Let the public decide that "that is the extent of the story."

Obama has to stop blaming his rival's campaign for pushing a story against him. That's what other campaigns do. He needs to answer questions properly and adequately and the story will go away on its own.

Obama has to find out how many fundraisers Rezko held for him or who attended and he needs to release that information to the press.

Obama is right in that
"(t)hese requests..., can just go on forever." and they will as long as he does not take a full day, if necessary, to answer all questions and videotape the entire episode so that the public is satisfied.

"If there are additional questions, we'll be happy to answer them," he said.

Obama had better be prepared to do so. And the sooner the better. If he waits much longer, the press and the McCain team will dog him through the summer.

Obama may only have one chance to win the presidency. If he doesn't take this advice and act on it, it will be the end of his political career.

John McCain better throw all the mud that him and his cheerleaders (Jeff) can right now because it's going to be coming back and hitting them square in the face this fall:

I haven’t seen this discussed around here, but there is something that Matt Browner Hamlin pointed out earlier today that brings John McCain’s use of the public financing provisions to a whole new level (at least it would seem that way).

You see, McCain didn’t just "sort of pledge" it as collateral for a bank loan. He also used it to shortcut his way onto the Ohio ballot. So, to me (and I am just a dumb blogger), it would seem that either he is locked into the public financing or he can be ineligible for the Ohio republican primary and taken off the ballot. Now, since he pretty much has the nomination close to sewn up, it would seem to be smart politics to make himself ineligible for the Ohio primary. But the bigger picture here is the shenanigans that McCain is going through with respect to the matching funds in order to give himself either an advantage or stay in the race, and he is using campaign finance laws - the same laws that he claims to champion - in order to do so.

So much for his credibility, integrity and reputation as a "reformer".

clammyc's diary :: ::
The background is laid out in a post by Brad Smith, who is only a former republican FEC Commissioner. A good portion of the post is the background on McCain opting in, then out, then in (sort of, so he says) again to the federal matching funds program. And while much of this focuses on the loans that McCain took out, there is a juicy nugget about how McCain used the FEC matching funds certification in order to automatically qualify for the Ohio ballot (emphasis mine):

Senator McCain used his FEC certification for at least one other purpose. Qualifying for the presidential primary ballot in Ohio is a complex process, requiring a candidate to gather over 100 signatures in each of the state’s 18 districts, using separate petitions for each county within the district, which must be filed with local election boards around the state. Additionally, the candidate must gather still more signatures statewide, all under some very complicated rules and local interpretations. Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and most of the presidential campaigns went through this process, at considerable time and expense. With a filing date of January 3, this was done by these campaigns at precisely the moment McCain was desperately borrowing to keep his campaign afloat, lacking money and resources to organize and gather signatures to be placed on the Ohio ballot.

But Ohio has an alternative means of getting on the ballot – you can simply present your FEC matching funds authorization to the Secretary of State, and go straight to the ballot, without petitioning. And this is what Senator McCain did. Does this amount to use of the matching funds certification locking Senator McCain into the system (not to mention a possible fraud on the state of Ohio)? Again, it is an interesting legal question to which I don’t know the answer, but it is not one that the McCain campaign – or more importantly, the FEC – can simply brush aside.

I want to call your attention to a couple of points in this. For starters, nearly all of the other campaigns went to great lengths and incurred significant costs to go through a rigorous process in order to get on the ballot. As Jonathan Singer at MyDD points out, this cost Dean approximately $2 - $3 million in 2004. And at the time, McCain was borrowing $3 - $5 million.

This republican former FEC Commissioner wondered in writing whether John McCain was potentially committing election fraud on the state of Ohio in order to get on the ballot.

These are the lengths that John McCain would go to in order to gain power and continue the failed policies of the Bush administration. He is willing to come as close to violating campaign finance law (which is ironically the "reform" he champions the most) or maybe even violate campaign finance law.

At least Howard Dean is on it and calling McCain on his violations:

Dean told reporters McCain has already used the prospect of nearly $6 million in federal matching funds -- which he now says he won't claim -- as collateral for a January campaign loan and to obtain automatic ballot access in every state.

Dean said he was filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to block McCain from quitting the public financing system, which imposes a spending cap on candidates.

Good for Dean. And good that this story is getting a bit more attention - in the manner and from the angle that it deserves. Mr. "double talk" is making a mockery of campaign finance laws, if not outright breaking them.

I’d bet that Ohio is not the only state where he did this. And I am convinced that this is the type of scandal that will do more damage to McCain as a credible and honest candidate than pretty much anything else. This goes directly towards his biggest perceived strength.

The combination of this, the McLobbyist scandal and his well deserved name of Senator John McHothead should be a deadly trifecta for his chances in November.

I think this country has been through enough, & Obama should be investigated to the fullest. There seems to be too many ties for it to just be a coinsidence!
It's better to be safe then Sorry, after he is in the White House!
I say, INVESTIGATE HIM NOW!

How many members of the press were in Waukegan on the day Obama wanted to talk about Rezko so that at a future date he could say he was open to questioning. This is an old campaign tactic. Mention any bad stuff early and in obscure ways so that later you can appear forthcoming. Its snarky
it fools some people but its snarky.

let's not overlook the pictures that hillary and bill took with their good friend tony rezko as well. pot calling the kettle black.

Obama endorsed Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. Why doesn't the national press take a look at that travesty? Talk about an error in judgement...Suffice it to say, Obama's message of hope doesn't resonate with me.

Obama and Chicago Mores
By JOHN FUND, Wall Street Journal
March 3, 2008; Page A17

On Tuesday, Barack Obama may well wrap up the Democratic nomination. Yet how he rose so quickly in Chicago's famously suspect politics -- and who his associates were there -- has received little scrutiny.

That may change today as the trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko, Mr. Obama's friend of two decades and his campaign fund-raiser, gets under way in federal court in Chicago. Mr. Rezko, a master fixer in Illinois politics, is charged with money laundering, attempted extortion, fraud and aiding bribery in an alleged multimillion dollar scheme shaking down companies seeking state contracts.

John McCain's dealings with lobbyists have properly come under a microscope; why not Mr. Obama's? Partly, says Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, because the national media establishment has decided that Chicago's grubby politics interferes with the story line of hope they've set out for Mr. Obama. Former Washington Post reporter Tom Edsall, who now teaches journalism at Columbia University, told Canada's Globe & Mail that "reporters have sometimes allowed themselves to get too much caught up in [Obama] excitement." Then there are Chicago Republicans, loath to encourage the national party to pounce because some of their own leaders are caught in the Rezko mess.

For its part, the Democratic Party may once again nominate a first-time candidate they haven't fully vetted politically. Democrats flocked to Michael Dukakis in 1988, ignoring Al Gore's warnings about Willie Horton; later they were blindsided by revelations about Bill Clinton after he was elected president.

This year, Hillary Clinton made a clumsy attack on Mr. Rezko as a "slum landlord" during one debate. But her campaign has otherwise steered clear -- at least until last Friday, when Howard Wolfson, a top Clinton aide, suggested to reporters on a conference call that "the number of questions that we don't know the a