Tony Rezko and Obama

Tony Rezko, Obama's buddy, is going to prison for 10 1/2 years.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

A federal judge sentenced Tony Rezko to 10 1/2 years in prison Tuesday, describing his actions under Rod Blagojevich’s tenure as “selfish and corrupt.”

Rezko, 56, has already served about 44 months. His daughter burst into tears at hearing the sentence.

U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she found it offensive that Rezko put at risk the Teachers’ Retirement System by scheming for kickbacks with a board member in 2004.

“You put their retirements at risk for your own greed and your own thirst for power,” St. Eve said.

A pale, thin Rezko gave a brief statement before he learned his sentence, saying “there are no words to describe the pain and regret,” he carries and the amount of suffering his family has endured. He apologized to the court and to his family.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Niewoehner said Rezko’s conduct was severe and included scheming with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and others to control state deals so they could make money off of it.

“That’s about as bad as it can get in a political corruption case,” he said. “Illinois was for sale at the very top levels of our government.” Rezko’s attorney, Joseph Duffy, said his client would never commit a crime again.

Rezko grew clearly agitated as Niewoehner said Rezko overstated poor conditions in county jail. Niewoehner said Rezko got sunlight -- through skylights.

Rezko, a former top fund-raiser to Blagojevich and a onetime friend to President Barack Obama, volunteered to go to jail in 2008 immediately after his conviction on 16 of 24 counts of corruption, including fraud, money laundering and plotting to squeeze $7 million in kickbacks from firms that wanted to do business with the state during Blagojevich’s tenure.

Rezko’s lawyers asked that he be released with just time served.

The government, though, wanted St. Eve to send him away for 11 to 15 years.

We should all know the corrupt Rezko's connection with Obama. All of the dirty dealings should have come out during the 2008 campaign and received lots of attention.

Naturally, they didn't.

Of course, every detail, real or trumped up, about conservative and Republican candidates is examined under a microscope. When it came to Obama, so much was swept under the rug, so much was dismissed. Nothing was going to disqualify Obama from being the Democrat nominee.

God knows Hillary tried to make Rezko an issue but it didn't stick.

Let's revisit just a bit of Obama's history with his buddy, Rezko.

From June 22, 2007:

Do you think that the likable Barack Obama is Mr. Clean when it comes to ethics?

Don't.

Is he the embodiment of change, a new sort of government, hope that we can believe in and be proud of?

No. He's not.

Read what John Batchelor has to offer.

Here's more--

Mark Levin alerted his listeners to a piece from American Thinker, "The Obama-Rezko plot thickens."

There is much yet to be learned about the web of transactions involved, but it now appears that money originating from a convicted Middle Eastern wheeler-dealer found its way to indicted Chicago wheeler-dealer Tony Rezko, and then weeks later provided the means for a nearly simultaneous land transaction that enabled the Obamas to buy their home for substantially below asking price.


It certainly doesn't look like change we can believe in, when it comes to Chicago politics.

More on the Obama-Rezko connection and dirty politics, from Right Wing Nut House.

And more from the Chicago Sun-Times, here.

There's a strong chance White House hopeful Barack Obama's name will surface at indicted political fund-raiser Tony Rezko's trial, which is to begin next week.

In a ruling released Monday, a federal judge also made clear that Gov. Blagojevich, too, stands to come up at trial, as she made public what Blagojevich has long denied: that the governor is the "Public Official A" who's repeatedly referenced in Rezko court documents.

Obama's name was not mentioned, but U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she would allow prosecutors to present evidence about a portion of a $375,000 finder's fee that a Rezko associate, Joseph Aramanda, obtained through an alleged kickback scheme orchestrated by Rezko.

Prosecutors, she ruled, will be allowed to ask about how money from that fee allegedly was used "to make a political contribution" in Aramanda's name "because Rezko had already donated the maximum amount by law."

The ruling does not identify Obama as the recipient of that contribution. But sources have identified him as the "political candidate" who prosecutors say received a $10,000 donation from Aramanda -- at Rezko's direction -- during Obama's 2004 run for the U.S. Senate.

Obama has donated that contribution to charity. Aramanda's lawyer could not be reached for comment.

In addition, Rezko allegedly directed another associate, Elie Maloof, "to donate for the same reason," St. Eve wrote.

"The evidence is admissible," she added.

As with the Aramanda contribution, Obama has donated a $10,000 contribution from Maloof -- who was out of the country and could not be reached -- to charity. The two contributions are among $157,835 in Rezko-linked donations that Obama has given away.

Rezko was once part of Obama's senatorial finance committee.

Yes, Obama and Tony Rezko go way back.

You're known by the company you keep.

Obama's connection with Rezko doesn't reflect well on him.

Maybe Obama will pardon Rezko. It's the least he could do for an old friend.
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Read more about Rezko and Obama.

April 25, 2007: Maureen Dowd bashes Michelle Obama for failing to rein in Obama's dealings with the sleazy Rezko.

Michelle conveys the appealing idea that she will tell her husband when he’s puffed up or out of line. She aims high — she ordered her husband to stop puffing on cigarettes as he started campaigning. But then, why didn’t she see the red flags on the Rezko deal?

In order to get a bigger yard for their new house on Chicago’s South Side in 2005, the Obamas got into what the senator now confesses was a “boneheaded” real estate arrangement with a sleazy political dealmaker named Tony Rezko, who has been indicted on influence-peddling charges.

On Monday, The Chicago Sun-Times reported more shady Rezko news: “Obama, who has worked as a lawyer and a legislator to improve living conditions for the poor, took campaign donations from Rezko even as Rezko’s low-income housing empire was collapsing, leaving many African-American families in buildings riddled with problems,” from a lack of heat to no lack of drug dealers and squatters.

Mr. Obama riposted that “it wasn’t brought to my attention.” But isn’t that where a dazzling, tough, smart and connected wife could help a guy out?

October 10, 2008: Charles Krauthammer writes about "Obama & Friends," including Rezko.

Convicted felon Tony Rezko. Unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. And the race-baiting Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It is hard to think of any presidential candidate before Barack Obama sporting associations with three more execrable characters. Yet let the McCain campaign raise the issue, and the mainstream media begin fulminating about dirty campaigning tinged with racism and McCarthyite guilt by association.

But associations are important. They provide a significant insight into character. They are particularly relevant in relation to a potential president as new, unknown, opaque and self-contained as Obama. With the economy overshadowing everything, it may be too late politically to be raising this issue. But that does not make it, as conventional wisdom holds, in any way illegitimate.

Herman Cain's Character: Michigan Debate

The audience at last night's Republican presidential debate didn't want to hear about the Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations.

When questions were raised about the matter, the audience booed.

There's no confusion or controversy. They didn't boo a gay soldier. They booed the media, and they deserved it.

Here's video:


The crap about character is so funny.

These Leftist members of the media didn't think character mattered when Bill Clinton was running for president, or having sex in the Oval Office, or lying under oath.

Character didn't matter for decades when Ted Kennedy was in the U.S. Senate.

Now, it's supposed to be an issue?

What a joke!

They didn't question Obama's character over his relationship with Bill Ayers or Jeremiah Wright or Tony Rezko.

Double standard. Same old, same old.

Cain's response when questioned about the harassment accusations was very good. He believes character does matter and he says he's dealing with character assassination.

I also liked the audience's response to the questions.

Ron Johnson and Ben Ganther

UPDATE: What a surprise!

The Russ Feingold campaign tweets that "Ron Johnson's ties to tea party rally sponsor go way back."

Note to Feingold: A Tea Party rally isn't a Nazi rally.

Russ thanks his "watchdogs" at the Journal Sentinel.
__________________

Dan Bice, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, makes a pathetic attempt to dig up dirt and spread the word on Ron Johnson.

Unfortunately for Bice and the liberal Journal Sentinel, it's a complete failure.

Bice tries to suggest that Johnson's relationship with Ben Ganther, a fellow Oshkosh businessman, is laced with corruption.

Instead of presenting any compelling revelations, his article is much ado about absolutely nothing.

Bice writes:

U.S. Senate candidate Ron Johnson may be a first-time candidate for office.

But he is no political virgin.

Indeed, Johnson has already mastered the first rule of politics:

I scratch your back; then you scratch mine.

This is so silly.

What's Bice trying to do? Make the case that Johnson is a "career politician" even though this is his first run for office?

That's right. Johnson really is a political veteran. He's no different than the Washington-entrenched Russ Feingold. How lame!

Just consider his connections to fellow Oshkosh businessman Ben Ganther, the guy who helped sponsor the tea party rally last year that launched Johnson's political career.

What?

Ganther helped sponsor a tea party rally?

GASP!

Imagine that. An Oshkosh businessman believes he's been TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY and so he was involved in a rally expressing discontent with the direction of the country. Ron Johnson, Oshkosh businessman was on board.

GASP!

There's nothing wrong with that, nothing at all.

Over the years, Ganther Construction has won millions of dollars in contracts from Johnson's own firm and several nonprofits with which the Republican candidate is affiliated.

For instance, city construction permits show Johnson's plastics company, Pacur, hired Ganther's shop to do more than $1.9 million worth of work at Pacur's headquarters since 2005, including an expansion of the basement and installation of a mezzanine.

So when Johnson announced in May that he was taking on Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, Ganther rushed forward with the maximum donation of $4,800 just weeks later. And in late June, Ganther was a host of a Johnson fund-raiser that appears to have brought in $31,500 for the multimillionaire businessman.

But last week, Johnson rejected any suggestion that Ganther was returning the favor for their past associations.

"Not at all," Johnson said. "He agrees with my policy positions."

That is perfectably reasonable.

There's is no reason whatsoever to question the ethics of Johnson here. Most people do share the policy positions of others. That's going to happen in a two-party system.

This isn't the first time the pair's business and political connections have come together.

Starting in 2004, Johnson and Ganther were two of the leaders of a political action committee called Forward Oshkosh. The group funneled money to candidates who supported a taxpayer bill of rights, among other things.

Johnson made a total of five donations worth about $2,000 to the PAC and its affiliated conduit committee.

Oh, my God!

Johnson has made political donations!

How dare he!

This really is ridiculous.

That, of course, is chicken feed compared to his other political giving. In 2005, he and his wife Jane chipped Search+&employer=PACUR"> chipped Search+&employer=PACUR in a little more than $10,000 to GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Green's campaign fund. In the past year, the pair gave $10,500 to Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker , the current Republican nominee for governor.

"Search+&employer=PACUR"> chipped Search+&employer=PACUR."

Oops!



I assume someone will take care of this error as soon one of the professionals at the Journal Sentinel becomes aware of it.

Johnson said last week that the Forward Oshkosh PAC was focused on getting good people into local offices. The group has not been active for a couple of years.

Ganther did not return repeated calls last week.

What is Bice's point?

What's wrong with Johnson contributing to candidates he supports?

He has every right to donate.

What's wrong with him being involved in a political action committee at one time?

I don't see why this is a problem or even worth noting.

Before Herb Kohl ran for the Senate, did he ever make any campaign contributions? Was Kohl a "political virgin"?

I assume multi-millionaire Kohl made contributions. I also assume that Kohl had business contacts that went back years and years. As for Kohl's virginity, I prefer not to comment.

I think Johnson should be commended for being involved in the political process and not sitting on the sidelines. It's certainly not something negative.

The connections between Johnson's family and the Ganther firm dates back to at least 1978. That's when Ganther built a 25,000-square-foot warehouse for a subsidiary of Bemis Co., which is run by Johnson's in-laws and is a Pacur client.

In recent years, the ties between Johnson and Ganther have grown stronger. Along with the work for Johnson's own firm, Oshkosh construction permits show Ganther was hired to:

• Remodel and repair the basement, stairs, gym and library of Lourdes High School after major flooding at the Catholic school at a cost of $2.55 million in 2008. At that time, Johnson was the treasurer of the Lourdes Foundation for the Unified Catholic Schools of Oshkosh, which oversees the area's parochial schools, according to federal tax filings.

• Oversee the architecture and construction work on the $9.7 million upgrade of the sports complex at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2008. Johnson was on the fund-raising committee for the project. The amount paid Ganther was not immediately known.

• Knock out some walls in the second floor of the Grand Opera House in Oshkosh at a cost of $10,000 in 2008 while Johnson was on the opera foundation's board.

So what?

Is there something wrong with running a successful business?

Maybe Bice could enlighten us on jobs that Ganther didn't get.

I suppose Barrett's campaign or someone in the Democrat-Union-Media Complex didn't supply Bice with that information.

In addition, state lawmakers included $500,000 toward a planned $1.8 million upgrade of the opera house in the 2009-'10 budget.

"No money to catch child molesters, but cash for an opera house in Oshkosh," conservative talk-show host Charlie Sykes wrote at the time. "How's that going to look on a bumper sticker next year?"

This is really lame.

Is the quote from Charlie Sykes supposed to be some sort of "gotcha" thing?

It fails.

Sykes was questioning the lawmakers' judgment, not that of Ron Johnson.

Johnson wasn't in the legislature. He had nothing to do with how funds were appropriated. He didn't vote on the budget.

Johnson was doing business. I find nothing unusual or inappropriate about that.

Before the item was inserted in the budget bill, The Oshkosh Northwestern reported last month, Oshkosh Area Community Foundation CEO Eileen Connolly-Keesler sent an e-mail to state Rep. Gordon Hintz, saying Johnson inquired about the availability of stimulus dollars for the renovations.

Team Feingold Leftists think an interest in stimulus dollars shows Johnson to be a hypocrite because he believes that the private sector creates jobs, not the government.

What Bice conveniently fails to clarify is the content of this alleged smoking gun e-mail.

Upon contacting the Oshkosh Northwestern, Sykes thoroughly debunks the notion that Johnson "sought" stimulus funds. He wrote about this issue in September. Did Bice miss that?

I find it hard to believe someone as professional as Bice would be so sloppy. Was the omission intentional? Did the Feingold camp simply say "pretty please"?

In August 2009, Johnson urged the Oshkosh City Council to hire TheBoldt Co. as the primary construction contractor on the project "as they did a wonderful job on the North Shore renovation," according to council minutes. The council followed Johnson's advice. Since then, Boldt has hired Ganther as a subcontractor to do $225,000 in demolition work at the opera house in January and lighting design and other work since then.

Reached last week, Johnson defended all of the deals, saying Ganther does good work and beat out other firms.

"Those were competitively bid," he said while dashing to his campaign van.

In response to a question, his campaign later sent a statement making it clear that the Republican candidate has no ownership interest in Ganther Construction.

I would find Bice's piece rather amusing if it didn't piss me off so much.

"The connections between Johnson's family and the Ganther firm dates back to at least 1978. That's when Ganther built a 25,000-square-foot warehouse for a subsidiary of Bemis Co., which is run by Johnson's in-laws and is a Pacur client."

This is insane - a subsidiary, run by Johnson's in-laws. Wow! What deep and shady ties!

The liberal media all but ignored Obama's connections and dirty dealings with Tony Rezko, the convicted felon.

But we should be troubled that the Ganther firm built a warehouse for "a subsidiary of Bemis Co., which is run by Johnson's in-laws and is a Pacur client."

That's nuts.

Ganther was hired to do work. That's legitimate. It's no surprise that Johnson and Ganther, Oshkosh businessmen, would have a business relationship and share interests regarding business in Wisconsin; yet Bice makes the connection out to be crooked.

The liberal media all but ignored Obama's professional, political, and personal ties to Bill Ayers, a proud anarchist and an unrepentant terrorist. As a member of the Weather Underground, Ayers plotted to overthrow the U.S. government. He also launched Obama's political career.

But we should be troubled that Ganther helped to sponsor a Tea Party rally that involved Ron Johnson. Good grief, Ganther didn't bomb the Pentagon.

Absolutely nuts.

This stuff from Bice, "willing partner" of Russ Feingold's campaign, reveals just how desperate the Left is to derail Johnson's strong appeal to the people of Wisconsin, those wanting to vote for real hope and change.

This makes Feingold and his hacks in the liberal media look foolish.

Tony Rezko: Secrets?

The sentencing of Tony Rezko -- convicted felon and Barack Obama's old friend, political patron, and real estate buddy -- is being delayed.

From FOX News:

Federal prosecutors moved Monday to delay indefinitely the sentencing of convicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, sending their strongest hint yet that he is ready to spill his political secrets.

The filing asks for a postponement while prosecutors and defense attorneys "engage in discussions that could affect their sentencing postures."

Speculation has simmered for weeks that the key fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Sen. Barack Obama was whispering what he knows about corruption in Illinois government to federal prosecutors in hopes of getting a lighter sentence.

Very interesting.

Obama's Housing Problem

McCain and his Houses

The most important issue on the campaign trail today: John McCain is unsure about how many houses he and wife, Cindy, own.

POLITICO: How many houses do you and Mrs. McCain have?

McCAIN: "I think, uh... I'll have my staff get to you... It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."

I think it's a mistake for Obama's camp to be focusing on McCain's property.

Why would they want to go there, given Obama's very shady real estate dealings with Tony Rezko?

From Politico:

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in response: "Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses? Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people 'cling' to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans?

“The reality is that Barack Obama’s plans to raise taxes and opposition to producing more energy here at home as gas prices skyrocket show he’s completely out of touch with the concerns of average Americans.”

At a campaign appearance in Chester, Va., on Thursday morning, Obama said: "Somebody asked John McCain, 'How many houses do you have?’ And he said, I’m not sure. I’ll have to check with my staff. True quote: I’m not sure, I’ll have to check with my staff. So they asked his staff and he said, at least four. At least four! ...

"If you’re like me and you’ve got one house – or you were like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so that they don’t lose their home — you might have a different perspective. By the way, the answer is: John McCain has seven homes. So there’s just a fundamental gap of understanding between John McCain's world and what people are going through every single day here in America."

That's right Obama is just a regular guy, struggling to pay off college loans, and keep a roof over his head. Right.

"If you’re like me and you’ve got one house – or you were like the millions of people who are struggling right now to keep up with their mortgage so that they don’t lose their home — you might have a different perspective."

Blah, blah, blah.

GIVE ME A BREAK!

We're not like you, Obama. My one house is not like your one house.

Yes, most of us know how many houses we own, but we also know that there are 50 states.

"Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."

But I digress.

There's no way that Obama will succeed in painting McCain as a wealthy, out of touch elitist when he's jetting to Switzerland for a $10,000 a plate fundraiser hosted by George Clooney.

Obama is romping in Hawaii's surf, while his half-brother George is living in a shack in Nairobi on less than one dollar a month.

Couldn't Obama send George a few bucks from some of the millions he has made from book sales?

After all, Obama did mention George in his autobiography, "describing him in just one passing paragraph as a 'beautiful boy with a rounded head.'"

Speaking of out of touch, Obama is out of touch with his own family.

Let's focus on Obama's brother's house, a tiny 6'x 9' shack.

Couldn't wealthy Obama send George just a little money to help his brother upgrade to a stately 12'x 18' shack?

The Obamas may not be as wealthy YET as the McCains or own as much property, but I don't think convicted felon Tony Rezko did any favors to help McCain acquire a mansion or a lot, like he did for Obama.
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OBAMA'S ATTACK AD on McCain and his houses:

Obama: Risky and Scary

Barack Obama has a problem with FOX News.

That's to be expected.

Unlike MSNBC and CNN, as well as ABC, CBS, and NBC, FOX is not actively campaigning for him.

From Politico:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) personally went on the attack Wednesday on a best-selling new book that falsely describes him as a closet Muslim.

Talking about "The Obama Nation," Obama said author Jerome Corsi was just making "stuff up."

“But it gets a lot of play on Fox News,” he said to loud boos.

...Obama said GOP attackers “will run negative ad after negative ad, attack after attack, with the goal of making you lose focus on the issues. … and focus on me and try to make me out to be a risky, scary guy.”

“Now I must say: I don’t find myself particularly scary or particularly risky," he said.

The McCain and GOP ads I've seen here in Wisconsin have been very focused -- on the issues and on McCain's superior experience.

The ads have not made me lose focus on the issues at all.

They're very clear.

Do the ads make Obama out to be a risky, scary guy?

Not in the way that Obama claims.

The ads do point out that Obama's policy positions and his stunning lack of experience make him a risky choice to be president.

The ads don't play on bigotry. They don't question Obama's patriotism. They don't suggest that Obama is a Muslim.

Personally, I do find the prospect of my taxes going through the roof to be scary. Yes, I do find the prospect of having a president who considers Ruth Bader Ginsburg to be a model Supreme Court justice to be scary. I do find the prospect of having a president who is so extreme when it comes to abortion that he wanted to withhold medical care from babies born alive during botched abortions to be scary. Actually, that I find barbaric. It's scary and barbaric.

Obama doesn't think of himself as "particularly scary or particularly risky."

Why would he? He doesn't feel threatened by his radical views. He believes in them. "Citizen of the world" Obama wants America to be a nation grounded in them. He embraces the positions of the far Left. He's comfortable on the fringe. The ultra-Left is his comfort zone.

He's really a Mr. Nice Guy. I'm sure his friends William Ayers and Tony Rezko would attest to that.

Obama keeps trying to paint himself as a victim. He's a victim because of the color of his skin. He's a victim because of his name. He's a victim because for 20 years he was a member of a church with a racist, anti-American pastor. Obama is just a nice guy unfairly under attack.

Yeah, no.

The ads I've seen focus on the issues and Obama's qualifications to be president.

When one examines Obama on the issues and Obama's qualifications, it's reasonable to consider Obama to be a very risky, scary guy.

Obama's Daughters

The Obama campaign chose Access Hollywood as the outlet for the first televised interview of the entire Obama family, including daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

ABC News reports:

[T]he Obama campaign insists it wasn't planned that way.

What?

Access Hollywood just unexpectedly shows up and grabs an interview with Barack and Michelle Obama and their little girls?

Why would anyone think that there was planning involved?

Good grief.

The interview, taped on the Fourth of July while the family vacationed in Butte, Mont., was far from the prying eyes of the horde of journalists that trail Obama every day during the campaign, but it does raise the public profile of Obama's young children.

I'm a bit uncomfortable with parading such young children out to speak on camera.

There's an exploitation factor there, using them as political props.

The sweet little girls show Obama's softer side. He's an all-American dad. In other words, don't be scared of Obama, America.

It's a fact that Obama hangs out with a radical and racist preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and a radical and racist priest, Fr. Michael Pfleger. He has close ties to convicted criminal Tony Rezko, who was found guilty on 16 of "the 24 counts he faced, including scheming to get kickbacks out of money management firms wanting state business and a contractor who wanted to build a hospital in northern Illinois." Obama has a personal connection with unrepentant terrorist former Weather Underground official William Ayers.

The Obama campaign wants voters to disregard those relationships and instead focus on Obama, the wholesome, loving dad.

What are the odds that the Access Hollywood audience is familiar with the many shady characters in Obama's circle?

My guess is the audience is relatively clueless.

Are we really supposed to believe that the Access Hollywood interview wasn't planned, that it wasn't a calculated move by the campaign to reach out to the uninformed voter via a Hollywood tabloid show?

Come on.

I think Malia and Sasha are adorable, but using them to score some political advantage is rather unseemly. They're so young.

Obviously, the Obamas aren't following the Clintons' lead and choosing to keep the press away from their daughters. They trotted them out for an interview on a tabloid trash program.

The Obamas are opting to use their children, rather than keep them out of the political game.

Ick!


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*FLIP-FLOP ALERT*FLIP-FLOP ALERT*FLIP-FLOP ALERT*

Obama says he regrets TV interview of his children

Don't expect to see more of Barack Obama's young daughters on television any time soon.

...On Wednesday, Obama said he had second thoughts after seeing how much attention the interview had received. Obama told ABC's Good Morning America that things got carried away a bit.

Obama said, in his words, "I don't think it's healthy and it's something we'll be avoiding in the future."

Do we chalk this up to inexperience and youthful indiscretion, too?

Are Obama and his wife still learning how to be responsible parents and what's
"healthy" for their children?

Good grief.

McCain and Obama: Old Guy vs. Change

An Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll sums up the presidential election like this:

"Old guy vs change: McCain, Obama images take shape"

Now more than ever, it's the old guy against the agent of change.

Ask people to blurt out their first words about the two presidential candidates and one in five say "change" or "outsider" for Barack Obama and "old" for John McCain, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll released Monday. Those are not only the top responses for each man but the ones used most often since January, when fewer than one in 10 volunteered those descriptions.

Four months from Election Day, the survey underscores that people see quality and question marks in both contenders as they struggle to control their images. Lack of experience is the next most frequently offered view of Obama, 46, the Democrat who came to the Senate from Illinois less than four years ago; for McCain, 71, the Republican senator from Arizona and Vietnam prisoner of war, it's his military service.

"My husband and I are about the same age as McCain, and I don't think we'd be in a position to take this country in the direction it needs to go," said Rosemary Bates, 65, of Barre, Vt., an Obama supporter. "We've grown up in a different era. Something is not working and it needs to be changed."

Obama is seen as warmer and more empathetic, McCain stronger and tougher. When people are asked whether specific words and phrases apply to each man, the Democrat does 12 percentage points better for caring about "people like you" and is 11 points more likable. McCain has a 24-point edge as a military leader and is 9 points more decisive.

For all the discussion about racism being a factor in this election, it appears that this election will be more about ageism, an acceptable form of bigotry in our society.

McCain is old. Ha ha ha. The jokes about his age never stop. It seems that lazy late night comedians have gone to their files and pulled out the Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole jokes and simply inserted McCain's name.

Maverick McCain, previously the Left's favorite Republican, has suddenly turned into a doddering old coot, on the verge of senility.

Obama is inexperienced but he's young, relatively speaking. Young is good. He's about change and we need change.

Are voters really ready to trade some vague notion of change for their safety?

Gee, we are at a war with an enemy that wants to destroy us here at home and abroad, but McCain is old and Obama is so youthful.

Sure, McCain is tough; and terrorists and tyrants around the world are hoping for an Obama victory. So what?

Who cares about protecting the homeland with a strong defense, when we can have change, courtesy of the baby-faced, albeit middle-aged, Obama? That old guy McCain can't deliver what we want: Change.

The fact that McCain has a 24-point edge as a military leader and yet people are rejecting the old guy shows just how much things have changed in the past seven years.

Apparently, people feel very safe. Maybe that's President Bush's fault. His administration has obviously been too successful at enacting policies that have prevented another massive attack on America, like 9/11.

Remember the Alamo! Remember the Maine!

Remember 9/11! Strike that last one.

Clearly, people have forgotten what happened on 9/11. It's official. We prefer warm and fuzzy to strong and tough. Remember the World Trade Center and what happened there? Not really.

Yes, that's history, ancient history. Not as old as McCain, but it's old. It's over.

Now that the likable "apple pie" Obama is wearing a flag pin in his lapel, all is well.

He really is about change. He changed his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. He changed his stance on patriotism and flag pins. He now says he'll reject public financing for his campaign. He has changed his plans for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq. (On the last example, Obama denies that he's changed. He's "refined" his position.)

I guess Obama really has established himself as the agent of change (or refinement as the case may be).

And old man McCain, the faded old war hero, is being trashed as mentally unstable because of his time as a P.O.W.

Of course, the Left thanks him for his service, but he's a time bomb. Veterans like McCain aren't fit to be commander-in-chief. His service to the country gives him a warrior's perspective on national security and solving international crises. We can't have that.

Forget that stuff Obama said in private at that fundraiser where he called blue-collar hard-working Americans bitter, clinging to their guns and their Bibles and their prejudices. Forget his allegiance to his hate-America pastor. Forget his homegrown terrorist buddy William Ayers. Forget Tony Rezko. Forget Wesley Clark, too. Forget Obama's grandmother, the "typical white woman." No, remember her, but forget that Obama called her a "typical white woman."

He's changed since then.

Longtime Democratic consultant Doug Schoen said that for many voters questions about Obama’s identity, faith and patriotism are metaphors for a broader doubt and uncertainty about somebody who, until four years ago, was an unknown even in much of the political community.

“It's Obama against Obama—and Obama’s narrowly winning,’ Schoen said. “He’s only five points ahead running against a shadow when he should be up 15.”

“If he's acceptable, he's president. It’s that simple.”

War hero, lifelong public servant McCain is a shadow.

Very nice.

A little apple pie here, add a blitzkrieg of Obama commercials where he's shown being embraced, literally, by white people, and toss in a flag pin on his lapel.

That's the recipe to be president. That's the plan for victory over the old guy.

That's acceptable to Americans?

Really?

That has to be a joke. Tell me it's a joke.

If change means weakening America, I don't want it.

I want the old guy.

Maureen Dowd and Minced Michelle Obama

Maureen Dowd does a 180 in her column, "Mincing up Michelle."

What a difference a year and a couple of months make!

In April of 2007, Dowd was not singing the praises of Michelle Obama, nor was she warning of the Republicans' intentions to attack her.

To the contrary, in "She's Not Buttering Him Up," Dowd expressed her discomfort with Michelle and Barack Obama's shtick on the campaign trail. Back then, Dowd criticized Michelle for tweaking her husband.

“I have some difficulty reconciling the two images I have of Barack Obama. There’s Barack Obama the phenomenon. He’s an amazing orator, Harvard Law Review, or whatever it was, law professor, best-selling author, Grammy winner. Pretty amazing, right?

“And then there’s the Barack Obama that lives with me in my house, and that guy’s a little less impressive. For some reason this guy still can’t manage to put the butter up when he makes toast, secure the bread so that it doesn’t get stale, and his 5-year-old is still better at making the bed than he is.”

Dowd was annoyed by Michelle's comments, but she saved her most stinging remarks for Michelle's failures to rein in her husband's dealings with the sleazy, and now convicted, Tony Rezko.

She wrote:

Michelle conveys the appealing idea that she will tell her husband when he’s puffed up or out of line. She aims high — she ordered her husband to stop puffing on cigarettes as he started campaigning. But then, why didn’t she see the red flags on the Rezko deal?

Without question, Dowd thought Michelle was falling short. This woman behind the what was supposed to be a great man wasn't fulfilling her role to Dowd's satisfaction.

Clearly, Dowd holds Michelle in higher regard now than she did then. In her column today, Dowd chastises Republicans, McCain supporters, and miscellaneous Obama enemies for preparing to mince up Michelle now that Hillary is no longer here to kick around anymore.

Dowd writes:

It’s good news for Obama that Hillary’s out of the race. But it’s also bad news. Now Republicans can turn their full attention to demonizing Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama is the new, unwilling contestant in Round Two of the sulfurous national game of “Kill the witch.”

It's kind of funny that Dowd herself was one of the first players in the national game of "Kill the witch," Michelle Obama version.

There are some who think it will be harder for America to accept a black first lady — the national hostess who serenely presides over the White House Christmas festivities and the Easter egg roll — than a black president.

Who are the "some" Dowd says will have trouble accepting a black first lady?

Who is Dowd calling racist?

This "some" stuff is cowardly. Be specific. It's wrong to slam the "some" without identifying them.

There are creepy Web sites, like TheObamaFile.com, dedicated to painting Michelle as a female version of Jeremiah Wright, an angry black woman, the disgruntled, lecturing “Mrs. Grievance” depicted on the cover of National Review.

On that site and others around the Internet, the seamy rumors still slither that there’s a tape of Michelle denouncing “whitey,” a rumor that Barack Obama disdained last week as “scurrilous.”

The Internet is loaded with creepy websites because it's loaded with creeps. It's not as if poor Michelle is being targeted.

In terms of seamy rumors, Dowd need look no further than her own New York Times when it comes to stirring up sleaze and lies. Does the John McCain - Vicki Iseman affair sound familiar?

...In their narrative of how Hillary lost in The Times on Sunday, Jim Rutenberg and Peter Baker said that Mark Penn argued that Hillary should subtly stress Obama’s “lack of American roots.”

That’s a good preview of how Republicans will attack Michelle, suggesting that she does not share American values, mining a subtext of race.

Oh, for God's sake.

Lib queen Dowd is the one hung up on race. She seems to forget that Republicans played up John Kerry and wife Teresa Heinz as rich and privileged, and out of touch with average Americans and their values. (Note to Dowd: The Kerrys are out of touch with average Americans. They're also white.)

The divisiveness of the elitist Obamas is of their making. It's disingenuous for Dowd to suggest that Republicans will be "mining a subtext of race" when she's the one whipping out the race card.

The Republicans don't need to focus on a subtext of race when they can stick with mining the Obamas' in-your-face liberalism and socialism.

...Team Obama is hoping for the best. When she’s on her game, after all, Michelle is a knockout. And as one Obama booster enthuses: “Michelle’s story is a lot more mainstream American than Cindy McCain inheriting a brewery.”

Michelle the knockout is very different from the Michelle that Dowd described in 2007.

But the campaign is preparing for the worst, planning to shore up Michelle with her own slick and quick war room staffed by top operatives from previous campaigns.

David Axelrod thinks “there’s a real recoil potential” if the Republicans go after Michelle. “I don’t think she’s projecting herself into the fray in a way that would justify that,” he said, adding that her charming and polite daughters, Malia and Sasha, are walking testimony to Michelle’s “loving parenting.”

So Malia and Sasha will serve as human shields to protect Michelle?

Way to exploit the kids!

Michelle doesn't campaign for her husband by standing by her man, with a "fixed, adoring gaze" locked on him. She chooses to get in the fray. She speaks out.

Of course, Republicans should respond to her remarks. If she can't stand the heat, she should get out of the kitchen. Or, maybe she should get in the kitchen and bake cookies.

The fact is the potential for recoil will come from Americans recoiling at Michelle's statements, not any legitimate reaction to whatever she might say on the campaign trail.

If Michelle comes under fire from Republicans it will be because of what she says, not because she's black, not because she's a woman, and not because Republicans are ruthless.

Isn't it weird that Dowd, once so critical of Michelle, is now whining about what the evil Republicans are scheming to do to her?

Very weird.

Barack Obama's Friend Tony Rezko: GUILTY

Barack Obama's buddy Tony Rezko didn't have a good day yesterday.

CHICAGO -- A prominent fundraiser for Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted Wednesday of fraud and money laundering after a high-profile federal trial provided an unusually detailed glimpse of the pay-to-play politics that has made Illinois infamous.

Antoin "Tony" Rezko showed no emotion as the jury found him guilty of a majority of the 24 counts he faced, including scheming to get kickbacks out of money management firms wanting state business and a contractor who wanted to build a hospital in northern Illinois. He was acquitted of charges that included attempted extortion.

"What the jury did was vindicate the interests of the citizens of Illinois and honest government," said U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

The nine-week trial included explosive testimony about all-night drug parties involving the government's star witness and allegations that the governor discussed a state job for a supporter after the donor handed over a $25,000 check for Blagojevich's campaign.

Testimony barely touched on the relationship between Obama and Rezko, who has known the Democratic presidential candidate since he entered politics and was involved in a 2005 real estate deal with him. Most of the focus was on shakedowns prosecutors said Rezko arranged when he was a top adviser to Blagojevich.

Neither Blagojevich nor Obama has been accused of wrongdoing. Blagojevich planned an evening news conference to address the verdict. Obama's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

...While Obama's name rarely surfaced, the case focused attention on Obama's relationship with Rezko, a man Hillary Clinton derided in one televised debate as a "slum landlord."

Rezko, a real estate developer and fast-food entrepreneur, had been friendly with Obama for years, even offering him a job after Obama finished law school. Obama turned down the offer, but a political friendship developed.

Rezko donated more than $21,000 to Obama and raised far more for his campaigns in Illinois, though not his presidential bid.

He also advised Obama on the purchase of a new Chicago home and, in his wife's name, purchased a vacant lot next to the new Obama home at the same time from a couple who insisted on selling both pieces of property simultaneously. The purchase raised questions about the extent of his help.

The charges against Rezko had nothing to do with Obama, who has donated $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions to charity.

A man is known by the company he keeps.

Obama's choice of friends doesn't reflect well on his character.

Though Obama wasn't accused of wrongdoing, there's that stench of corruption that remains.

Hillary's Comeback

Hillary Clinton has had a long dry spell.

The drought is over. Tuesday night was her night.

From the Washington Post:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won critically important victories in Ohio and Texas last night, defying predictions of an imminent end to her presidential candidacy and extending the remarkable contest for the Democratic nomination to Pennsylvania's April primary and perhaps well into the summer.

Clinton also won in Rhode Island, while Sen. Barack Obama captured Vermont. Her victories snapped his winning streak at 12 consecutive contests, rejuvenated her struggling candidacy and jolted a Democratic Party establishment that was beginning to see Obama as the likely nominee.

Clinton still faces daunting odds in her bid for the nomination. Obama began the day with a lead in pledged delegates that will be hard for her to overcome in the 12 primaries and caucus remaining, despite the results from the four states voting yesterday. But her advisers said that the big win in Ohio alone would force a serious look at both candidates and that the race was far from over.

Yesterday's voting came after two weeks of intensive and increasingly acrimonious campaigning. Clinton, her back to the wall, played the role of aggressor, challenging Obama on his readiness to be commander in chief and chastising him on trade and health care. Obama attempted to fend off those attacks with the hope of scoring victories that his advisers were confident would drive Clinton from the race. But exit polls showed that, among late-deciding voters, Clinton had a clear edge.

Former president Bill Clinton had said earlier that she needed to win both big states to have a realistic chance of winning the nomination, and she delivered. But even before the Texas results were in, she made clear that she would continue.

"For everyone here in Ohio and across America who's ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, and for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone who works hard and never gives up, this one is for you," she said.

As the crowd chanted, "Yes, she will! Yes, she will!," Clinton said she is in the race to win. "You know what they say: 'As Ohio goes, so goes the nation,' " she said to cheers from supporters. "Well, this nation's coming back and so is this campaign," she continued. "We're going on. We're going strong and we're going all the way."

Obama, speaking in San Antonio before Texas was counted, congratulated Clinton on her victories in Ohio and Rhode Island, something she had never done during his winning streak, but he said her successes would not stop his march toward the nomination.

"We know this," he said. "No matter what happens tonight, we have nearly the same delegate lead as we had this morning, and we are on our way to winning this nomination."

As if to underscore his confidence about the nomination, Obama said he had called Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to congratulate him on clinching the Republican nomination and said he looked forward to debating the future of the country. McCain, he said, "has fallen in line behind the very same policies that have ill-served America."

Later he criticized McCain and Clinton for dismissing his call for change as "eloquent but empty" and vowed to continue his campaign for change and a new politics in Washington.

Hillary had a great night.

She won Texas and Ohio and Rhode Island.

Barack Obama went to Super Tuesday Jr. and all he got was lousy Vermont.

Speaking last night, Obama showed that he's forgotten how to lose. He looked bad. He looked angry. If he was eloquent, it was an autopilot eloquence.

BARACK OBAMA: Well, we are in the middle of a very close race right now in Texas, and we may not even know the final results until morning. We do know that Senator Clinton has won Rhode Island, and while there are a lot of votes to be counted in Ohio, it looks like she did well there too, and so we congratulate her on those states. We also know that we have won the state of Vermont. And we know this – no matter what happens tonight, we have nearly the same delegate lead as we did this morning, and we are on our way to winning this nomination.

He was wrong about Texas. It wasn't that long after midnight that Hillary was projected the winner. Technically, it was morning, but when he said morning, I took him to mean dawn, morning with daylight.

All in all, it was a very disappointing night for Obama. He probably was the one doing the fainting.

Although Hillary did make up a little ground in the delegate count, Obama's lead there is secure.

So, now what?

Hillary vows not to give up.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: For everyone here in Ohio and across America, who's ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out and...

(APPLAUSE)

... for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone...

(APPLAUSE)

... who works hard and never gives up, this one is for you.

(APPLAUSE)

You know what they say: As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.

(APPLAUSE)

Well, this nation's coming back, and so is this campaign.

(APPLAUSE)

The people of Ohio have said it loudly and clearly. We're going on, we're going strong, and we're going all the way.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, they call Ohio a bellwether state. It's a battleground state. It's a state that knows how to pick a president.

(APPLAUSE)

And no candidate in recent history, Democrat or Republican, has won the White House without winning the Ohio primary.

(APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE: Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will! Yes, she will!

MRS. CLINTON: You all know that, if we want a Democratic president, we need a Democratic nominee who can win the battleground states, just like Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

And that is what we've done. We've won Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Arkansas, California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

(APPLAUSE)

And today we won Rhode Island. And thanks to all my friends and supporters there.

(APPLAUSE)

This is a great night. But we all know that these are challenging times. We have two wars abroad; we have a recession looming here at home.

Voters faced a critical question: Who is tested and ready to be commander-in-chief on day one?

(APPLAUSE)

And who knows how to turn our economy around? Because we sure do need it.

(APPLAUSE)

Ohio has written a new chapter in the history of this campaign, and we're just getting started.

(APPLAUSE)

More and more people have joined this campaign, and millions of Americans haven't spoken yet. In states like Pennsylvania and so many others, people are watching this historic campaign, and they want their turn to help make history.

(APPLAUSE)

They want their voices to count, and they should. They should be heard. So, please, join us in this campaign. Go to www.HillaryClinton.com.

This is not a woman ready to give up on her presidential aspirations.

Is she willing to tear the Democrat Party apart in the process?

Should she step aside?

I don't think so. It's not right for her to forsake her supporters. Their voices deserve to be heard.

It's undeniable that Hillary picked up momentum in the last few days. I think maybe voters are beginning to understand that Obama is an empty suit.

It could be that we're seeing the impact of the media finally giving a bit of attention to the real Obama. Some of them have snapped out of drool mode.

Questions about Obama's ties with Tony Rezko are being raised. It's nuts that it took this long for the national media to catch on.

Then there's the SNL factor. Obama isn't used to being mocked. And maybe "bitch is the new black" is resonating.

Could it be that the photo of Obama in Somali dress mattered to voters?

As Seth Meyers of SNL's "Weekend Update" noted: "This week, pictures of Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama appeared on the Internet, in what was clearly an underhanded attempt to make him look like a sushi chef [on screen: Obama in a traditional Somali dress]."

I think the "Hussein" dust-up was a problem. Obama and spouse Michelle did not handle the truth well. That's never good. We've never had a president with an unmentionable middle name.

The NAFTA thing didn't help either. When Obama is put under more scrutiny, he falters. The facade crumbles. The eloquence seems canned.

Notice that Hillary includes Florida and Michigan among her victories. She wants those pledged delegates seated at the convention. That's a hornet's nest waiting to be disturbed.

Whatever happens, this cannot end well for the Democrats.

"Proud conservative liberal" John McCain is a real option. Disgruntled Dems may find him appealing.

I think Election 2008 is shaping up to be the season of our discontent for both Dems and Republicans.

Obama's Judgment

On this day of primaries that may decide the Democrat nominee for president, the Washington Post delves into the Obama "movement."

Another rally, another rapturous crowd.

At around 1 p.m. Wednesday, less than a week before today's crucial primary vote, a few hundred supporters lined up outside Duncanville High School, about 15 miles south of Dallas. Buttons were sold, three for $12. Shirts too, $10 each. Three hours later, the packed gymnasium of more than 2,500 -- with at least 500 more stuck outside -- spontaneously erupted into chants. The right side yelled, " B ARACK!" The left side screamed, " OBAMA!"

The candidate had yet to take the stage.

And down on the floor stood Rhonda Friedberg, a roll of duct tape encircling her right arm like a loose bracelet. A slender, striking woman with more than a passing resemblance to Diane Keaton, Friedberg calls herself "the tape lady." She's taped signs in restrooms, posters on walls and electrical wires to the floor so people don't trip.

This has been a season of many "firsts" for the 46-year-old molecular biologist: the first time she's volunteered for a campaign, the first time she's served as a precinct captain in an election, the first time she's given money to a candidate.

Every time Friedberg drives her 1991 red Toyota pickup truck out of the driveway of her Dallas home to attend another meeting of Obama's precinct captains, she surprises even herself. Before, she was "a homebody," as her husband of seven years describes her. Now, she feels she's part of a movement.

"Whether or not he wins the nomination, whether or not he makes it all the way to the White House, this is a movement," Friedberg shouts above the roar of the crowd. "A movement is when you're emotionally involved, and that's where I am."

She pauses, then says "And, you know, it's not about Barack Obama. It's about us. He's expressing what we need expressed and what we've been needing expressed for years."

...Never mind the gladioluses and calla lilies that need planting in her small front yard. Forget the novel she picked up about two months ago.

Over the past month, Friedberg's priority has been to make sure Obama's supporters in her precinct know about the Texas two-step: First they have to vote in the primary, then show up at 7 p.m. for the caucus.

By Monday morning, she'd made more than 700 phone calls on Obama's behalf. Being inside the arena, enveloped in the roar of the crowd, listening to Obama and his promises of hope and change, she feels part of something.

I think Friedberg nails it when she says that "it's not about Barack Obama. It's about us."

It seems to me that there are a lot of people wanting a purpose, something to believe in. What's weird is that the purpose seems to be Obama, not a cause or a goal or a philosophy.

"He's expressing what we need expressed."

OK. That's just sad. What's he expressing?

Barack Obama is supposed to be about changing politics as usual. Is that what we need expressed?

Unfortunately, his words ring hollow.

The movement is fraudulent.

From FactCheck.org:

Barack Obama's campaign is distributing a mailer in Ohio that plays upon anti-NAFTA feelings in the Buckeye State. But the flyer is misleading:

---Obama is quoted as saying that "one million jobs have been lost because of NAFTA, including nearly 50,000 jobs here in Ohio." But those figures are highly questionable and from an anti-NAFTA source. Other economic studies have concluded the trade deal resulted in much smaller job losses or even a small net gain.

---The mailer quotes Hillary Clinton as saying "NAFTA has been good for New York and America." That quote, however, is taken out of context. She also said in that same news conference that NAFTA was flawed and old trade deals needed to be revisited.

That's definitely politics as usual.

Obama is not the man he claims to be. And if Obama is not the man he claims to be, then the movement falls apart.

On Monday's Nightline, Obama was interviewed by Terry Moran.

On the question of experience, Obama welcomes the contrast between him and Clinton, who has repeatedly described herself as someone who is "tested" and "ready."

"I think the question is, how do you know any president is ready?" Obama said. "[Until] you're president, you haven't made these decisions."

"What people can take a look at is how I exercised judgment on key foreign policy questions over the last several years," he said. "And I think they can have confidence. ... More often than not, I have shown judgment that was superior to some of these people who are claiming much lengthier experience."

As part of her proven experience, Clinton has highlighted her visits to more than 80 countries, her time spent in the White House and her service on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"Look, I've lived overseas," said Obama. "I have family overseas. I have served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee."

I can't believe that Obama has the nerve to consider living overseas and having family overseas to be foreign policy experience. That's idiotic.

He claims that he has superior judgment compared to "people who are claiming much lengthier experience."

Yeah, he opposed the Iraq war from the beginning. How many times have we heard that? Obama's always yapping about Hillary voting for the war and he didn't.

He didn't have to cast a vote on the war because he wasn't a U.S. Senator at the time!

How long does he think he can use his statement on Iraq as an indication of his superiority?

If Obama has such superior judgment, then why does he make "boneheaded" mistakes and surround himself with a weird band of buddies and associates?

Obama's spiritual mentor, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., shares the views held by terrorists.

On the Sunday after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Mr. Wright said the attacks were a consequence of violent American policies.

Mr. Wright, who has long prided himself on criticizing the establishment, said he knew that he may not play well in Mr. Obama’s audition for the ultimate establishment job.

“If Barack gets past the primary, he might have to publicly distance himself from me,” Mr. Wright said with a shrug. “I said it to Barack personally, and he said yeah, that might have to happen.”

Obama's campaign has said, “Senator Obama is proud of his pastor and his church.”

Really? I question Obama's judgment on that.

Wright isn't the only questionable person close to Obama.

He's friendly with Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi.

[Khalidi is] a harsh critic of Israel who reportedly worked on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization when it was labeled a terror group by the State Department.

Khalidi held a fundraiser in 2000 for Obama’s failed bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

And then there's William Ayers.

Jonah Goldberg writes:

"Everything was absolutely ideal on the day I bombed the Pentagon."

This excerpt from William Ayers' memoir appeared in the New York Times on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 -- a few hours before Al Qaeda terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Ayers, once a leader in the Weather Underground -- the group that declared "war" on the U.S. government in 1970 -- told the Times, "I don't regret setting bombs" and "I feel we didn't do enough."

Ayers recently reappeared in the news because Politico.com reported Friday that Barack Obama has loose ties to him. Ayers, now a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is apparently a left-wing institution in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, and Obama visited Ayers' home as a rite of passage when launching his political career in the mid-1990s. The two also served on the board of the charitable Woods Fund of Chicago, which gave money to Northwestern University Law School's Children and Family Justice Center, where Ayers' wife (and former Weather Underground compatriot) Bernardine Dohrn is the director.

Hanging out with former members of the Weather Underground isn't using the best judgment in my opinion, particularly since Ayers has no regrets about declaring war on the America. That's not good.

Now, we get to Tony Rezko.

Obama and Rezko have strong ties.

In 1995, Obama began campaigning for a seat in the Illinois Senate. Among his earliest supporters: Rezko. Two Rezko companies donated a total of $2,000. Obama was elected in 1996 -- representing a district that included 11 of Rezko's 30 low-income housing projects.

In 2003, Obama announced he was running for the U.S. Senate, and Rezko -- a member of his campaign finance committee -- held a lavish fund-raiser June 27, 2003, at his Wilmette mansion.

A few months after Obama became a U.S. senator, he and Rezko's wife, Rita, bought adjacent pieces of property from a doctor in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood -- a deal that has dogged Obama the last two years. The doctor sold the mansion to Obama for $1.65 million -- $300,000 below the asking price. Rezko's wife paid full price -- $625,000 -- for the adjacent vacant lot. The deals closed in June 2005. Six months later, Obama paid Rezko's wife $104,500 for a strip of her land, so he could have a bigger yard. At the time, it had been widely reported that Tony Rezko was under federal investigation. Questioned later about the timing of the Rezko deal, Obama called it "boneheaded" because people might think the Rezkos had done him a favor.

I think Obama's relationship with Rezko speaks volumes about his judgment.

From Nightline:

Obama's critics point to Tony Rezko, a Chicago real estate developer, as a reason to question Obama's brand of politics.

Rezko, who has raised a lot of money for Obama over the years, goes on trial this week on corruption charges. Rezko has ties to many politicians, but it is a real estate deal Rezko participated in with Obama in 2005 that enabled the senator to purchase his current home, that has brought a lot of scrutiny to the candidate's campaign.

For Obama, who has called himself a reformer and touted his judgment, some voters might ask how could he enter into this transaction with a longtime contributor who, at that time, was known to be under investigation for corruption?

"I've already said that that was a mistake, even though it was completely above board," said Obama. "Because he had been a contributor, I shouldn't have entered into any real estate transaction with him."

What a lame response!

Obama doesn't personify honesty. He's not about change. He insists that he has superior judgment, but I don't see the evidence.

It's pathetic that so many people are spellbound by someone they really don't know. And at least some of what they think they know about Obama is not true.

A Primer: The Tony Rezko Trial

In anticipation of the Tony Rezko trial, the Chicago Sun-Times provides a primer.

Seven things to know about the trial:

1. Who is Tony Rezko?

He's a Syrian-born businessman who made millions of dollars in real estate, fast-food chains and overseas ventures. Rezko's prowess as a political fund-raiser bought him political access and influence within the Blagojevich administration, prosecutors charge. Rezko, who was once a top Blagojevich adviser, is accused of demanding illegal payments from firms trying to do business with the state and directing that money to himself or to political designees. Rezko also served as an Obama fund-raiser, and Obama entered into a land deal with Rezko in 2005. Obama later called the move "boneheaded" because Rezko was widely known to be under federal scrutiny at the time.

2. Hottest trial in town: If you want a seat, come early.

3. Rezko cleaned-up

4. Picking jurors

5. Gov B is Public Official A

There will be no more "Public Official A," or "Individual B," etc. In contrast to how names were disguised in reams of court documents, the cards will be out on the table at trial. That isn't good news for Gov. Blagojevich, who St. Eve recently confirmed is the "Public Official A" referred to in prosecution filings. The government alleged in December that two witnesses are expected to testify Blagojevich told them supporting his administration would bring financial rewards. Blagojevich allegedly said "he could award contracts, legal work, and investment banking to help with fund-raising," according to a filing in which prosecutors laid out expected trial testimony. Prosecutors have not accused Blagojevich of wrongdoing. Last week, Blagojevich defended himself, saying: "What was described there doesn't describe me or how I do things."

6. 'Teflon' Obama

That same court filing makes reference to presidential contender U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. While Obama's involvement in the case will be minimal compared with the governor's, the prospect of his name being mentioned isn't a headache Obama needs -- especially on the eve of major primaries in Ohio and Texas on Tuesday. Prosecutors charge Rezko directed $10,000 from a kickback scheme into Obama's campaign fund. Obama isn't accused of wrongdoing, and he has since given that money to charity. An Obama reference at trial could be harmful to the defense, strategist Lisnek predicts: "If it comes in that Rezko was trying to take advantage of Obama -- that may not play well with a jury. "Obama's very positive. He's almost like Teflon right now. It could hurt the defense if jurors believe Rezko tried to sully his name and use him."

Not so with Blagojevich, Lisnek said: "Blagojevich has been so muddied."

7. It's all about Levine
___________________

8 things you need to know about Obama and Rezko

Bill Cunningham and John McCain

I support John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, on a host of issues.

I greatly admire his service to our nation. He's an American hero.

I think he will be a relatively strong candidate and I think he has a real chance of winning in November.

That said, John McCain can also be a real doofus.

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- A conservative radio talk show host who helped introduce Senator John McCain before a rally here Tuesday used Senator Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, three times, while disparaging him, prompting Mr. McCain to apologize and repudiate the comments afterward.

Bill Cunningham, who hosts “The Big Show” with Bill Cunningham, a local program here that is also syndicated nationally, was part of a line of people lauding Mr. McCain and revving up the crowd before his appearance here before several hundred people at a theater here.

He lambasted the national media, drawing cheers from the audience, for being soft in their coverage of Mr. Obama compared to the Republican candidates, declaring they should “peel the bark off Barack Hussein Obama.”

He went on to rail, “at one point, the media will quit taking sides in this thing and start covering Barack Hussein Obama.”

John McCain made no reference to Cunningham's remarks during his half hour speech. Afterward, during a news conference, McCain condemned Cunningham for his remarks.

Responding to questions from reporters, Mr. McCain said he did not hear what Mr. Cunningham said, saying that when he arrived, Mr. Portman was on stage.

“Whatever suggestion that was made that was any way disparaging to the integrity, character, honesty of either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton was wrong,” he said, “I condemn it, and if I have any responsibility, I will take the responsibility, and I apologize for it.”

He called Mr. Obama a “man of integrity” and said he was someone he had come to know “pretty well and I admire.”

He also said that it was not appropriate to invoke Mr. Obama’s middle name in the course of the campaign.

“I absolutely repudiate such comments,” he said. “It will never happen again.”

Good grief.

McCain says that it wasn't appropriate to use Obama's middle name.

I trust Obama will return the favor and make sure that no one at any of his rallies will say, "John Sidney McCain."

Sidney. It could be that McCain is sensitive about middle names.

Later on Tuesday, Cunningham responded to McCain's slap.

Sitting at a microphone in an office, Mr. Cunningham said:

Only Democrats, Air America, New York Times, talk-show hosts and newspaper reporters have freedom of speech. I have the right to speak my mind any way that I would like. If I consider Obama to be a hack Chicago politician from the Daley political machine, taking money from this Tony Rezko dude under threat of federal indictment, can’t I speak truth to power?

Mr. Cunningham said the media often say “nasty, negative things” about President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and that The Times had “smeared” John McCain on its front page.

Treat all the politicians the same. We’re not dealing with the messiah here. Obama cannot heal the sick and make the blind see. He’s a hack Democratic politician from Chicago, that’s all he is. Let’s treat him like every other hack Democratic or Republican politician.

Then he continued:

I’m angry at McCain. Why would John McCain repudiate me? I’ve been able to unite McCain and Obama against me. I might become a supporter of Ralph Nader.

McCain has a problem with Bill Cunningham just because he said Hussein.

That's an inappropriate reaction.

Watch video of Cunningham's remarks.

Cunningham wasn't as rough on Obama as McCain was on Mitt Romney.

I don't think McCain ever apologized to Romney, though I do remember him being nice when he accepted Romney's endorsement.

McCain's hypocrisy is troubling.

If McCain believes that Obama isn't eventually going to throw him under his Straight Talk Express bus, he's being incredibly naive.
____________________

Watch John Sidney McCain throw Bill Cunningham under the bus.
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Recall the always respectful John Sidney McCain LAUGHED when a woman at a campaign event asked him, "How do we beat the bitch?"

How does McCain's reaction to that reference to Hillary Clinton's character fit with McCain's condemnation of Cunningham's remarks?

“Whatever suggestion that was made that was any way disparaging to the integrity, character, honesty of either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton was wrong,” he said, “I condemn it, and if I have any responsibility, I will take the responsibility, and I apologize for it.”

It doesn't.

Hypocrisy, thy name is John Sidney McCain.

Some Thoughts on the Hillary-Obama Debate

CLEVELAND -- Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama clashed over trade, health care and the war in Iraq Tuesday night in a crackling debate at close quarters one week before a pivotal group of primaries. Charges of negative campaign tactics were high on the program, too.

"Senator Obama has consistently said I would force people to have health care whether they can afford it or not," said Clinton, insisting it was not true.

Responding quickly, Obama countered that former first lady had consistently claimed his plan "would leave 15 million people out ... I dispute that. I think it is inaccurate," he said.

The tone was polite yet pointed, increasingly so as the 90-minute session wore on, a reflection of the stakes in a race in which Obama has won 11 straight primaries and caucuses and Clinton is in desperate need of a comeback.

Clinton also said as far as she knew her campaign had nothing to do with circulating a photograph of Obama wearing a white turban and a wraparound white robe presented to him by elders in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya.

The gossip and news Web site The Drudge Report posted the photograph Monday and said, without substantiation, that it was being circulated by "Clinton staffers."

The Drudge Report is a "gossip and news Web site."

It's funny the way the AP feels the need to get in that swipe.

"We have no evidence where it came from," Clinton said, making clear that's not the kind of behavior she wants in her campaign.

"I take Senator Clinton at her word that she knew nothing about the photo," Obama said.

...Obama also sought to distance himself from an endorsement from Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan, the controversial Chicago-based minister who has made numerous anti-Semitic comments in the past.

Obama said he hadn't sought the endorsement, and that he had denounced the remarks.

Clinton interjected at one point, saying that in her initial Senate campaign in New York in 2000, she was supported by a group with virulent anti-Semitic views.

"I rejected it, and said it would not be anything I would be comfortable with." She said rejecting support was different from denouncing it, an obvious jab at Obama.

He responded by saying he didn't see the difference, since Farrakhan hadn't done anything except declare his support. But given Clinton's comments, he said, "I happily concede the point and I would reject and denounce."

The audience applauded at that.

Yes, that's right. The audience loves Obama and so does the Associated Press. So does Tim Russert and so does Brian Williams.

Early in the debate, Hillary claimed that she wasn't being treated fairly by the moderators.

Transcript:

MR. WILLIAMS: I -- well, here's another important topic, and that's NAFTA, especially where we're sitting here tonight. And this is a tough one depending on who you ask. The Houston Chronicle has called it a big win for Texas, but Ohio Democratic Senator Brown, your colleague in the Senate, has called it a job-killing trade agreement. Senator Clinton, you've campaigned in south Texas. You've campaigned here in Ohio. Who's right?

SEN. CLINTON: Well, can I just point out that in the last several debates, I seem to get the first question all the time. And I don't mind. I -- you know, I'll be happy to field them, but I do find it curious, and if anybody saw "Saturday Night Live," you know, maybe we should ask Barack if he's comfortable and needs another pillow. (Laughter, boos.) I just find it kind of curious that I keep getting the first question on all of these issues. But I'm happy to answer it.

I knew Hillary would work last weekend's opening SNL skit into the debate somehow.

Too bad she didn't mention Tina Fey's "bitch is the new black" line.

That would have caused a few sparks to fly.

Hillary was rather restrained, almost too restrained given what she has on the line. She needed to do more than not make any mistakes. She needed to wipe the floor with Obama. She didn't.

Again, Obama was spewing his talking points about his "ethics package."

Whenever Obama says anything about ethics it drives me nuts.

What about TONY REZKO?

When will the mainstream media quit giving Obama a free pass on his shady dealings?

It really bugs me. Hillary shut up about him after that picture of her, Bill, and Rezko surfaced.

Then when Tim Russert quizzed Hillary on Putin's successor, it really ticked me off.

RUSSERT: What can you tell me about the man who's going to be Mr. Putin's successor?

CLINTON: Well, I can tell you that he's a hand-picked successor, that he is someone who is obviously being installed by Putin, who Putin can control, who has very little independence, the best we know. You know, there's a lot of information still to be acquired. That the so-called opposition was basically run out of the political opportunity to wage a campaign against Putin's hand-picked successor, and the so-called leading opposition figure spends most of his time praising Putin. So this is a clever but transparent way for Putin to hold on to power, and it raises serious issues about how we're going to deal with Russia going forward.

I have been very critical of the Bush administration for what I believe to have been an incoherent policy toward Russia. And with the reassertion of Russia's role in Europe, with some of the mischief that they seem to be causing in supporting Iran's nuclear ambitions, for example, it's imperative that we begin to have a more realistic and effective strategy toward Russia. But I have no doubt, as president, even though technically the meetings may be with the man who is labeled as president, the decisions will be made by Putin.

RUSSERT: Who will it be? Do you know his name?

CLINTON: Medvedev -- whatever.

RUSSERT: Yes.

CLINTON: Yes.

Russert didn't play his gotcha game with Obama.

"Who will it be? Do you know his name?"

Russert treats Hillary like she's a Republican.

There's obviously still bad blood between them.

Another thing I didn't like was hearing Obama talk about Terri Schiavo.

RUSSERT: Senator Obama, any statements or vote you'd like to take back?

OBAMA: Well, you know, when I first arrived in the Senate that first year, we had a situation surrounding Terri Schiavo. And I remember how we adjourned with a unanimous agreement that eventually allowed Congress to interject itself into that decisionmaking process of the families.

It wasn't something I was comfortable with, but it was not something that I stood on the floor and stopped. And I think that was a mistake, and I think the American people understood that that was a mistake. And as a constitutional law professor, I knew better.

And so that's an example I think of where inaction...

RUSSERT: This is the young woman with the feeding tube...

OBAMA: That's exactly right.

RUSSERT: ... and the family disagreed as to whether it should be removed or not.

OBAMA: And I think that's an example of inaction, and sometimes that can be as costly as action.

And Obama says he's the guy who can bring the nation together.

Apparently, his unity plan doesn't include people who believe in the sanctity of life.

Summary:

The country is screwed.

Obama-Rezko Connection

Do you think that the likable Barack Obama is Mr. Clean when it comes to ethics?

Don't.

Is he the embodiment of change, a new sort of government, hope that we can believe in and be proud of?

No. He's not.

Read what John Batchelor has to offer.

Here's more--

Mark Levin alerted his listeners to a piece from American Thinker, "The Obama-Rezko plot thickens."

There is much yet to be learned about the web of transactions involved, but it now appears that money originating from a convicted Middle Eastern wheeler-dealer found its way to indicted Chicago wheeler-dealer Tony Rezko, and then weeks later provided the means for a nearly simultaneous land transaction that enabled the Obamas to buy their home for substantially below asking price.


It certainly doesn't look like change we can believe in, when it comes to Chicago politics.

More on the Obama-Rezko connection and dirty politics, from Right Wing Nut House.

And more from the Chicago Sun-Times, here.

There's a strong chance White House hopeful Barack Obama's name will surface at indicted political fund-raiser Tony Rezko's trial, which is to begin next week.

In a ruling released Monday, a federal judge also made clear that Gov. Blagojevich, too, stands to come up at trial, as she made public what Blagojevich has long denied: that the governor is the "Public Official A" who's repeatedly referenced in Rezko court documents.

Obama's name was not mentioned, but U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she would allow prosecutors to present evidence about a portion of a $375,000 finder's fee that a Rezko associate, Joseph Aramanda, obtained through an alleged kickback scheme orchestrated by Rezko.

Prosecutors, she ruled, will be allowed to ask about how money from that fee allegedly was used "to make a political contribution" in Aramanda's name "because Rezko had already donated the maximum amount by law."

The ruling does not identify Obama as the recipient of that contribution. But sources have identified him as the "political candidate" who prosecutors say received a $10,000 donation from Aramanda -- at Rezko's direction -- during Obama's 2004 run for the U.S. Senate.

Obama has donated that contribution to charity. Aramanda's lawyer could not be reached for comment.

In addition, Rezko allegedly directed another associate, Elie Maloof, "to donate for the same reason," St. Eve wrote.

"The evidence is admissible," she added.

As with the Aramanda contribution, Obama has donated a $10,000 contribution from Maloof -- who was out of the country and could not be reached -- to charity. The two contributions are among $157,835 in Rezko-linked donations that Obama has given away.

Rezko was once part of Obama's senatorial finance committee.

Tony Rezko's trial begins next week.

It may be too late for any of this to help Hillary Clinton, but it won't be too late to help John McCain.