1.0 link 149937 <![CDATA[How Obama Fought Through The Illinois Ethics Swamp]]> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/10/how-obama-fought-through_n_149937.html The arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich on charges of widespread corruption has revived a somewhat dead meme: that Barack Obama, despite his pleas for good-government, is and always will be a product of the ethically-lax Chicago machine.

It is not, necessarily, guilt by association. After all, Obama did emerge from Chicago politics. But to claim that he is tainted by his political geography is a narrow rendering of history. For starters, despite Illinois' terrible reputation, the state has made some progress...

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