Obama & The "Slum-Lord": Smear Or Time-Bomb Scandal?

___REBOZO___________REZKO

Bebe Rebozo
Tony Rezko

The names sound alarmingly similar.

And that's not the only similarity.

Charles "Bebe" Rebozo was a dubious figure who was investigated for various financial irregularities. He was astute enough to befriend a future US president 18 years before he won the presidency. He and his politician buddy even bought property next door to each other.

Antoin "Tony" Rezko is a dubious figure who is being investigated for various financial irregularities. He was astute enough to befriend a future US presidential candidate 18 years before he became a serious contender for the presidency. He and his politician buddy even bought property next door to each other.

Democrats hoping for victory in 2008 had better pray that the similarities end there.

In just four weeks time, on February 25th, Tony Rezko goes on trial facing federal charges of major corruption. The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Saturday that Barack Obama has just been identified by a source as the unnamed "political candidate" referred to in a document that outlines the case against Rezko.

Obama is NOT accused of any crime. It is his friend and political patron for the last 18 years -- who has contributed nearly $170,000 to Obama's campaigns -- who is accused of attempted extortion, money laundering, and fraud.

The loathsome GOP Oppo Research teams and hatchet men who "unleashed hell on Al Gore" and who stoked the Swift Boat smears on John Kerry are digging far deeper into this story as you read these words...

My take? Barack Obama is a man of great integrity. I do not believe he has an ounce of corruption in him.

He has volunteered that he has had appalling judgment in his dealings with Rezko. The word Obama used to describe his actions is "bone-headed".

He should be commended for his honesty. Those are the sort of mistakes that young aspiring politicians make. They certainly do not disqualify him from eventually becoming president.

Recalling what the Republicans did to the Clintons on Whitewater -- of which Ken Starr begrudgingly cleared them of all the wild allegations -- a Democrat would be criminally negligent to not at least ponder what venal mayhem the GOP would make out of the Rezko case. During a general election campaign. And beyond...

More Reading:

• Obama surfaces in Rekzo's federal corruption case - Chicago Sun-Times - January 20, 2008
• An Obama Patron and Friend Until an Indictment - New York Times - June 14, 2007
• Rezko cash triple what Obama says - Chicago Sun-Times - June 18, 2007
• Obama still answers for old ties to Rezko - Chicago Tribune - April 24, 2007
• The Chicago Sun-Times' questions, and Obama campaign's answers - Chicago Sun-Times - April 23, 2007
• On Rezko, mistakes and being held to a high standard - Chicago Sun-Times - November 7, 2006

Comments

[Grandmother]

Yes but the Whitewater "scandel" was not a "scandel" except by those who bought the Republican take on the the land deal. The Clintons were never foung guilty of anything except a stupid land deal in which they LOST money.

Remember John Kerry who was NOT the Viet Nam war hero according to the Republicans- even videotapes of his action didn't convince many people that he actually served in VietNam as an American rather than sitting at home in the US

And remember Al Gore who, according to the Republicans claimed he invented the internet?

And what about Michael Dukakis who Lee Atwater claimed was responsible for the murder that Willie Horton committed even though the policy that allowed Horton to get out of prison for theat weekend was put into place by the former REPUBLICAN govenor.

If Dukakis, Gore, or Kerry would have been elected the Republicans would have made their presidency hell just as they did for the Clintons. Their luck was in NOT being elected.

[freckles]

Hsu contributed to Obama also. That won't do as a defense.

[MartiP]

I have no idea if Obama has done anything wrong or not. I hope not, and don't think it's likely. He seems to be a good and honorable man. But I do know that this trial is going to go on for several months, and we do not yet know what is under all those rocks.

This was not just a question of a few donations from an unsavory person. There are lots of ties, and Obama referred to Reszko as his "political godfather". Maybe Obama did not realize the extent of this man's activities, but it's going to look really bad, and Patrick Fitzgerald is a BULLDOG - he is going to get to the bottom of every single detail.

[sonofloud]

Thats another reason to vote for Hillary.
The Republicans have been attacking her for 8 years and they can't find anything illegal she has done.
Obama has all kinds of skeletons in his closet.
If the media won't write about them now you can be sure the Republican candidate will bring them up.

[Lon]

You mean we shouldn't back Obama because it will lead to Republicans calling for endless investigations of our candidate. So we should go with the Clintons because they have been so scandal free?

You have moved from arguing that Democrats should rally behind the nominee whoever it is (but it happens to be Hilary) to any attack however loathsome is ok because we need to make sure our candidate is prepped for the Republicans (at least if the candidate is Obama).

It is a particularly depressing shift. Do you not think that a scandal with less there than Whitewater is less worrisome than is the campaign based on distortions that the Clintons are now running?

The Clintons currently seem to be running the campaign best designed to give the Republicans the presidency in 2008. They are dividing the democrats along racial lines. They are running a character free campaign that will alienate independents. Their hope seems to be that they can slime Obama enough to win the nomination, and then face a Republican who is repulsive enough to make Hilary the lesser of two evils. That is a good way to guarantee (even if it gets Clinton in the White House) that nothing gets done because Congress is likely to be as Republican as possible. And Congress will owe nothing to the president.

Your defenses of Clinton now are starting to make your arguments for comity of the summer look better than they did at the time. But back then I did not imagine Democrats would slime Clinton in the way that the Clintons are currently sliming Obama.

[vahawk]

Just wait for the Hillary supporters to claim that he has no integrity. I bet they won't talk about their Mr. Hsu, though.

[SCharb]

Compared to scandals like Whitewater, Norman Hsu, and the Brothers Rodham (Hillary's slumlord brothers), this is nothing. I don't even understand the crime here. He bought land from a shady character? Huh? It's too complex to put into attack advertisements.