The media has found the REZKO story.

[Herman Munster]

All Hillary had to do was say the magic words:

Slum lord.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/


*** Obama’s tough press day: Rezko is EVERYWHERE today. The Clinton campaign always wondered what it would take for the media to cover this story nationally. Well, have the candidate utter the words "slum lord" in a debate and voila. It's easily Obama's worst free press day of the campaign. It’s also a bit ironic, too, given that the Clintons have had many more problematic donors than Obama (Hsu, Gupta, Chung, Denise Rich, those donations to the Clinton Library). Then again, the point of the Clintons pushing Rezko is to make Obama look like just another politician who got caught up with a questionable donor. And if the Clintons can prove Obama's no better than them then they can beat him on other points. It’s also worth asking why Rezko, and not Wal-Mart, is getting all the play today. The Clintons -- at least in the short term -- won the spin war after a debate that looked like a draw to us. Meanwhile, the Obama folks are pushing the two Clintons vs. one Obama story, and it's getting its share of pickup. But nothing like Rezko today.

..

OBAMA: Tons of Rezko stories today. The New York Times: "Still, Mr. Obama’s relationship with Mr. Rezko remains controversial. In 2005, Mr. Obama bought a strip of land from Mr. Rezko even though the developer was under federal investigation. And while Mr. Obama has not been implicated in any wrongdoing, his campaign announced Saturday that it would give to charity more than $40,000 in past political donations that were linked to Mr. Rezko."

Chicago Sun-Times' Sweet looks at the renewed focus on Obama's ties to Rezko: "There are indications that Clinton and her allies will continue to press Obama on Rezko, especially as the Feb. 5 votes are looming in 22 states and Rezko's trial is near. Meanwhile, Rezko hovers as an issue for Obama if he gets the nomination."

The L.A. Times also does a Rezko story. "Obama campaigns for president as a new kind of politician, less beholden to special interests than his opponents. He and his staff regularly contrast his policy of refusing to accept donations from lobbyists with Clinton's practices. His relationship with Rezko may undermine the power of that claim."

The Chicago Tribune: "Beyond the heated sound bites is a story of a more complex relationship that long boosted Obama's political fortunes but now could prove a campaign liability. For years after Rezko befriended Obama in the early 1990s, he helped bankroll the politician's campaigns. Then, after Obama's election to the U.S. Senate, Rezko engaged him in private financial deals to improve their adjoining South Side properties. Those arrangements became a source of lingering controversy after the Tribune first reported them in November 2006.”

“Now Rezko's federal corruption trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 25. As Obama stumps for votes, coverage of the high-profile proceedings could bring fresh, unwelcome reminders for Obama of Rezko's influence in the same Illinois political world that propelled the senator to a serious run at the presidency."

The Boston Globe re-examines the relationship between Obama and real estate developer and fast-food magnate Tony Rezko. “Obama has also been forced to explain how Rezko got tangled in the purchase of the Obama family home and other ties to Rezko, some of them going back more than 15 years. If federal prosecutors are right, his ties to Rezko may mean Obama's campaign unwittingly accepted money generated by illegal activities. Obama, who has an unblemished reputation after 11 years in public office, has been accused of no wrongdoing involving Rezko.”