Rezko and Wright and maybe Karl Rove

[Taxmyth]

Should Senator Obama win the nomination, these two names will become synonomous with his defeat in the General Election. There's a lot of unanswered questions about Senator Obama and Antoin Rezko including the Senator's self described "bonehead" deal (and by the time election time comes around the word "bonehead" will be synonomous with Senator Obama amongst the more rabid GOP faithful).

The Wright theme is not as unknown as the Rezko connection. It is going to be hard for a lot of Americans to forget the "Goddamn America" and other little clips from Pastor Wright's sermons. It doesn't matter if you agree with the Pastor or not because if you do, you are already voting Democratic in all likelihood. But Senator Obama's relationship to Pastor Wright is going to damage his ability to draw traditional and those leaning towards the GOP voters across the divide.

I don't really expect this to happen but if you are an Obama supporter then you owe it to yourself to read some of the information available about Senator Obama and Tony Rezko and ask yourself if this is trouble for his election prospects. The Senator doesn't talk much about his connection with Rezko and he has "misspoke" about the amounts of contributions received from Rezko. The video that shows Senator Obama walking away from the press saying "Guys, I mean come on. I just answered like eight questions", is Rezko related.

And why would Karl Rove give Senator Obama tips on running his campaign? Are the messageboard attacks on Senator Clinton Rovian inspired? I've been reading messageboards like DU for over a decade and can't remember seeing supposedly Democratic Party supporters beat up on one of their own like this.

[anonymous171]

1. Rezko has no legs. It's too boring. Wright might but they've used to it too much already.

[Taxmyth]

16. No legs??????

Maybe it appears that way right now but when a Presidential candidate's name is DIRECTLY linked to someone on trial for corruption, headlines are bound to ensue. Add to that, the Iraqi and other middle eastern banking connections of Mr. Rezko, this has all the makings of major headlines and bad news for Senator Obama, deserved or not.

[anonymous171]

17. Directly linked? As in knew him and bought a house from him?

Rezko is whitewater without Vince Foster. No body and no room for sensationalism. Just more guilt-by association.

[Taxmyth]

28. Middle East banking connections

And just like Whitewater, it WILL be investigated fully and dirt flung far and wide. The Whitewater investigation got a popular President up on Impeachment charges. But the demand for investigation will come long before Senator Obama is on the ticket against John McCain in November.

[anigbrowl]

30. Not even...Obama bought a house, rezko bought the adjacent lot.

Big whoop. Some people would have you believe there's this huge coverup about it, but when challenged, the only sources they have are Obama's own interviews with the Chicago pres, which judged him to be in the clear ethically. They want you to believe there's a scandal, but their only method is to pretend there are dark unanswered questions...when in fact there are dry boring facts.

[Taxmyth]

43. dry boring facts

Like the amounts actually contributed to Obama and the amounts Senator Obama said were contributed? How about where the money came from for the Rezko's to make their purchase? Senator Obama engaging in business deals with someone known to be under Federal investigation? These are facts that need further investigation. There are a number of these dry boring facts that will interest people and have them asking questions.

[truedelphi]

19. Rezko wasn't known as a baddie until several years ago

I would rather have Obama and his little sackof garbage that have Hilary and her big abg of SHIT.

[anigbrowl]

29. Yeah, no legs. The trial has been going on for weeks, and scandal has failed to materialize.

Frankly, from my reading of the reports, it's not even a sure thing that Rezko is going to be convicted. The evidence against him so far is unexciting at best, and it seems like he's small beer compared to some of the other figures involved. All this hoop-la coming up to the trial, with Obama opponents insisting it would sink his campaign...and since then, nothing of note.

[VolcanoJen]

37. Yep, no legs. Rezko Story isn't "sexy."

I'd actually be fascinated to see a poll asking respondents if they're even heard of Rezko.

And compared to the numerous Clinton financial scandals that bored us to tears during the 90's? Even less sexy.

[Taxmyth]

44. I'd actually be fascinated to see a poll asking respondents if they're even heard of Rezko

Thank you, you have made my point for me.

[roguevalley]

35. if we're playing the name game, how about Hillary, Scaiffe and Murdoch

and Hitler?

[mrJJ]

27. A better story

One of Clinton's liabilities is Norman Hsu... The question is why hasn't the MSM taken a real hard look at Norman Hsu's backround? A con man
and thief that had a "meteroric rise on the Democratic political scene". ROFLMAO really? Actually idiot Norman's picture as a youngster
appears on an FBI B&W surveillance telephoto picture tagged (unidentified associates) of a NYC street gang tied to Chinese Organized crime
based in the US...reference U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Asian Organized Crime (1984,1989, 1993). . Btw Norman did
also funnel funds to Sen Barak Obama's campaign...Interesting tidbit.. who directed Norman too the then freshman Sen Obama? .... ding ding
ding... The Clinton's. No one has the history to a certain err element of ready, willing & able philantropists of an asian persuasion then

the Clinton's. A walk through recent history may be in order for you youngsters.

Charle Trie
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/op080397.htm

Norman Hsu's Boss Chan Tse-Chiu aka Eddie Chan
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2D6173AF931A3575AC0A966958260

Norman
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=5643329

Reports are that a former NY Chinatown Tong leader turned federal Informant Wing Yeung Chan has recently been escorted in and out of his
facility by the US Marshall Service... I wonder if Chan Wing is being used to verify anything that Norman has reportedly told the told the US
Attorney? Amazing how 18 months of legally obtained wiretaps & video recordings jogs a mobsters memories.

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1995/07/02/1995-07-02_a_look_inside_the_city_s_dea.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1995/10/27/1995-10-27_judge_slaps_ban_on_leader_in.html

Rethugs are close but no Cigar... PRC link is total bull...I'm sure it was added to spice their article.
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12220

[Taxmyth]

32. And how does this

address the concerns towards Senator Obama?

It doesn't........it recycles information that has been picked apart by journalists for YEARS now, not the case with Senator Obama and Rezko.

[mrJJ]

36. Really?

Picked apart for years? Might be news to the the US attorney in the Southern District of NY who is debriefing Wing Yeung Chan. But very simple way to call it BS. Call the US attorney's office for a comment. Better yet get someone with MSM creds to call. Idiot Norman even as a kid had no err heart. He would have been finished a long time ago if the old timers didn't need him to do their bidding. I know Iknow BS, imagination... heheh

Did you notice how fast Hillary got rid of the 850K? How about Rendell dumping his 40k? They already know what type of damage will be showing up on the horizon.

Rendell had said last week he planned to keep nearly $40,000 of Hsu's money even though he was wanted for failing to appear for sentencing
after pleading no contest to a felony charge of bilking investors out of $1 million.
"Though Norman is my friend, and remains so, his failure to appear casts a new light on his assertions regarding the original case," Rendell
said in a statement before Hsu's arrest Thursday. "As a result, I will follow other elected officials and donate the money he contributed to
me to charity."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/07/politics/main3240773.shtml

[Taxmyth]

50. Obama dumping the $250,000?

Or is that figure different yet again? That's the popular thing to do with tainted donations. There's no shortage of tainted donors giving money to Democratic Party candidates and Republican candidates alike but just how much of this tainted money came from a next door neighbor that you have had business dealings with while he was under Federal investigation and the amount of money keeps changing?

[NightWatcher]

2. I'll take a 'rezko' or 'wright' against 'snipergate' and lying on video

not to mention countless other Hillary scandals that follow the Clintons around

[Taxmyth]

25. Not me

"Snipergate" is known and with the exception of Senator Clinton's possible embellishing of her account of the events, really paints her in a positive light. More is being made of it than is really there and her explanation is plausible. There's nothing there, no amount of investigation is going to change what is already known.

Not so with Senator Obama and Rezko. There can and WILL be a lot of questions he has to answer about their relationship (don't believe me? ask Senator Clinton.....but all of her supposedly shady connections have been investigated and very, very little has stuck).

If Rezko-Obama hits the headlines in October, what will happen to the possibility of a President Obama?

At least with Senator Clinton we know just about everything we need to. The tax returns are really about the only unknown information but the tax returns during Senator Obama's rise from a community organizer to an Illinois State Senator are also unknown.

[NanceGreggs]

31. You pretty much lost me ...

... along with whatever touch with reality you may have once had, at the line: "'Snipergate' is known and with the exception of Senator Clinton's possible embellishing of her account of the events, really paints her in a positive light."

An outright lie is not an "embellishment". The only reason it is "known" is because she got caught lying with videotaped evidence that cannot be disputed.

And if you honestly believe that getting caught in this blatant lie "paints her in a positive light", you are truly delusional.

[Taxmyth]

34. Calm down, step back and look carefully

Then First Lady Hillary Clinton flies into a war zone to bring comfort and boost the morale of the troops stationed there. That is what the original story was and that is pretty impressive.

There was no need for Senator Clinton to embellish her perception of danger in this mission. But this "lie" does nothing to detract from the actual true events of the day as listed above. It doesn't seek to hide information or to send anyone investigating down the wrong path. She did embellish the DANGER of the mission, making it sound more dangerous than it actually was. But the fact is, it WAS a dangerous mission.

So call it a lie if you must. I've actually heard this type of "lie" told by some who have been in or near combat situations. Their "embellishments" or "lies" emphasize the danger of what they did but it doesn't detract from their mission and their accomplishments.

[NanceGreggs]

41. Sorry, no sale.

"There was no need for Senator Clinton to embellish her perception of danger in this mission."

Wrong. She could have played this up as a positive, her determination to boost morale among the troops. But her 'perception' of danger, as we all know, has nothing to do with reality. There is NO WAY a First Lady AND HER TEEN-AGED DAUGHTER would have been sent on a 'dangerous mission' - not then, not now, not ever.

"But this "lie" does nothing to detract ..."

Wrong. It does everything to detract from Hillary's credibility, and (most unfortunately for her) calls into question every aspect of her so-called 'experience'.

Example, if I may:

"I helped an elderly, slow-on-her-feet woman, across the street at a busy intersection today. While doing so, I snatched a toddler from the path of an oncoming bus, and saved his life."

If it turns out I helped a woman across the street, and there was no 'toddler or bus' as part of the story, I would not expect anyone to say, "The fact that the toddler-saved-from-the-bus aspect was a LIE does not detract from the fact that she helped the old lady across the street."

I appreciate the passion and determination of Hillary's supporters in pursuing the necessary verbal acrobatics to save face for their candidate - but this one ain't gonna wash.

She lied. Call it 'embellishment, mis-speaking, mis-remembering' - whatever you want. It's still a LIE, plain and simple.

[Taxmyth]

49. Speaking of sales

I loved your example because it shows exactly how blown out of proportion the whole argument is....

"I helped an elderly, slow-on-her-feet woman, across the street at a busy intersection today. While doing so, I snatched a toddler from the path of an oncoming bus, and saved his life."

And I could absolutely see the incredulity and question marks arising from Hillary Clinton saying she snatched that little girl off the runway and saved her life amidst the sniper fire. I'm going to change your example here to show my perspective of her words:

"I helped an elderly, slow-on-her-feet woman across the street at a busy intersection. While doing so I had to run to avoid a bus coming at me."

There's no denying the compassionate act but the danger has been embellished. There was no bus and consequently no reason to run and really no reason to add it except to emphasize the danger. The woman was helped across the street.

And that is the experience part of the story - that then First Lady Hillary Clinton got on a plane and flew to a war zone to comfort and boost the morale of US Troops stationed there. THAT is some kind of impressive experience. Maybe it wasn't as dangerous as she was originally quoted as saying it was but it WAS dangerous - just like helping the lady across the street would be dangerous.

[NanceGreggs]

58. Valiant effort, but ...

... in a word, no.

I appreciate your support of your candidate. However, there is no way you can fold, staple, spindle or mutilate that videotape into anything even remotely resembling the 'tale' as told by Hillary.

There was NO IMMINENT DANGER. It's that simple. The President of the US does NOT send his own wife and daughter into anything remotely resembling a dangerous zone.

Hillary was, at the time, the First Lady. She had the young daughter of the president of the US in tow. Even if the president was willing to send his own family into a dangerous situation, it would have been immediately vetoed by the military - knowing that a disastrous international incident could have been sparked by as much as Hill falling down and scraping her knee on the tarmac.

This story isn't going to fly, no matter how much it is dissected, analyzed, excused, or stretched by imagination to seem somehow reasonable.

The woman LIED. There's no getting around it. SHE LIED.

[Taxmyth]

60. another try

She got the account wrong when she spoke about it 12 years after it originally happened. Maybe she had a dream about the trip and that's really what she remembered. Maybe she lied thinking it would make her look tougher. Hell, I'd give her extra points for doing that, exaggerating the danger to make herself look tougher. Guys do it all the time. But worst case scenario is she had a brain fart and she remembered the dream and not the reality and that's what she spoke about 12 years later.


Now there is no doubt that the military considered this a safe mission or it would not have happened. It was the equivalent of Bob Hope in Da Nang but with less famous stars. Pat Nixon did travel to Viet Nam in 1969 so there was precedence for the military though Pat was with Dick at the time. This was Hillary with Chelsea. And that is experience.

[dchill]

46. "possible embellishing..."

Ha. Ha-ha. Go away.

[avrdream]

3. Good for you for expressing your concerns about BO.

Unfortunately, the ways things are going around GD-P these days, your thread will probably drop like concrete in water.

FWIW, I agree with you.

[babylonsister]

4. You do mean Clinton and Rove, right?

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/interviews/101

I think it's fair to say that they are not just playing the "race card," but they're trying to combine race and fear. This is the thing that probably pushed me over the edge with the Clintons. ... They see race as an effective button to push to move people in their direction, to create doubt. And that was the whole Rove thing, to create enough doubt that people go back to their default positions and their belief systems. ... They're using fear to put them where they want to be.

-- James Moore, Emmy-winning reporter and coauthor of Bush's Brain

[Fovea]

5. The one benefit of this dirty ass primary season

is that all the bombs get thrown by Obama's opposition. Even McQueeg will have to throw his own, before Hillary reframes them in ways that don't do maximum damage.

So neither of these issues have any legs left at all.

[Nitrogenica]

6. "with his defeat "....excuse me? So you're convinced he will lose then, huh.

[Johnny__Motown]

7. Unfounded opinion presented as fact, once again.. sorry nobody is buying it

[Botany]

8. Shame! Did you get enough "hits" in your posting?

Wright .. the God Damn America quote was taken out of
context and it was originally part of a longer quote
from a white man.

Rezko .... there is no their there .... it has been looked at.

Rove ..... please Karl is on record as saying he wants to run
against Hillary

BTW Hillary is mathematically out of it.

[EFerrari]

11. After this is over, I'm not dumping my ignore list.

Really. Too disgusting.

[indimuse]

15. wow..

are you way off...

[Botany]

18. Hedgehogs are fun

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

9. Thanks for your concern.

:eyes:

[EFerrari]

10. What about Hsu and Scaif and The Fellowship and Murdoch

and the endless list of Clinton cronies?

Really, what a stupid f'ing argument.

[Taxmyth]

47. What about them?

Talk about using a stupid f'ing argument.

Lot of information from a number of sources about the Clinton's contributors and people should read about them and decide for themselves what the real story is.

Not so much information available as of yet on the Rezko-Obama connection and the "bonehead" deal. But there will be and then people can decide for themselves what the real story is. But if they're reading about it in October that spells trouble for an Obama presidency.

[Life Long Dem]

12. Wright is retired and no longer Obama's pastor. He put this behind him.

And very well with a great speech I might add. Same with Rezko.

[Taxmyth]

55. interested in some beach front property in Nevada?

because if you think that speech quelled the furor over Pastor Wright and the Senator's 20 year relationship with him, you are very much mistaken. Same with the relationship the Senator had with Rezko....these issues are very much alive and on voters minds,,,,,,,,,though maybe not Rezko as much since not many people know the details of their relationship and the cloudy issues involved. But they will.

[indimuse]

13. Great post!

K&R


Thanks...You're spot on.

[bowens43]

14. not this ridiculous bullshit again

give it up . hillary is finished so either help obama win in the GE or sit down and STFU.

[Bigleaf]

20. Oooohhhh, scary Karl Rove is out there, lurking, waiting to pounce on our candidate.

Who fucking cares. Obama knows how to fight back. We've seen it. He learned from our past mistakes (see Kerry swiftboated etc.) Bring it on!

[NashVegas]

21. Highly Observant of You

The last sentence, especially, may be my #2 reason for supporting Hillary. My #1 reason is the general divisiveness of his campaign. In an odd way, I admire it. If BO can set Republicans against each other as well as he can Democrats, perhaps he'll do well.

[RazBerryBeret]

22. did you miss the March 14th story?

92 minutes w/journalists, Obama promised to answer every question asked concerning Rezko. (and he did)

From the Tribune:

"We fully expect the Clinton campaign, given its current desperation, to do whatever it must in order to keep the Rezko tin can tied to Obama's bumper.

When we endorsed Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination Jan. 27, we said we had formed our opinions of him during 12 years of scrutiny. We concluded that the professional judgment and personal decency with which he has managed himself and his ambition distinguish him.

Nothing Obama said in our editorial board room Friday diminishes that verdict."


People can keep saying it, hoping it sticks, but it's over.

[Taxmyth]

38. I did not

miss the Tribune story nor other stories from that day where Senator Obama either was caught "misspeaking" or outright lieing about the amounts of contributions received from Rezko (not the first time, either).

It's far from over.

[LaurenG]

23. I have never seen this either, but Senator Clinton has baggage

that she continues to pack all . by . herself. No one could imagine that she would lie over such easy to research stories. I'm not happy with the kitchen sink approach we have gotten from the Clinton's either; who taught them to play that way?

Also, this isn't just about Senator Obama, it's about what we are willing to allow to happen collectively. We are deciding what we think we deserve over the next 4 years and who we think is the best person for the job. For that reason there is a lot seemingly at stake here. How much anything will really change is debatable but people do have it in their minds that their candidate can make better and more lasting changes.

I think it just magnifies the feelings of everyone who has lived through the last 7 plus years all over the world. We are all sick and tired of it and we all want the best for the country, unfortunately we don't all see it working out the same way with the same candidate.

[Taxmyth]

40. Thoughtful post

Thank you for that.
But if Senator Obama cannot be elected President, or if he is elected President and his Administration is plagued by Rezko, where does that leave us?

There are a lot of unanswered questions about their relationship, and yes, the Clintons have their share of shady donors but how many lived next door and engaged in business deals with them?

[LaurenG]

42. I honestly cannot answer. I have no doubt that whatever is out there

will come out once the nominee is chosen. It will be a nasty few months out there no matter who the democratic nominee is.

[walldude]

24. So is it that they "beat up on one another"

or just Hillary? Because this whole victimization thing is bullshit. There are supporters on both sides acting like assholes.

[Taxmyth]

53. have to agree

that there are supporters on both sides acting like assholes. But the beating up on each other thing is not necessarily bad. Get ALL the dirt, open wounds, closed wounds, healed and unhealed out in the public now. Know EVERY LITTLE LAST DIRTY DETAIL of each of the two Democratic Party challengers.

And then in the months leading to November, it's Senator McCain's turn and there's LOTS of dirty little details about him to keep him on the defensive while the Democratic candidate has already dealt with those issues.

We already know most, if not all of Senator Clinton's skeletons in the closet. The same cannot be said for Senator Obama.

[cali]

26. he's got teflon

hilly? None.

[enid602]

45. he's got teflon

So did Spitzer; look at him now. I hope BHO has leveled with us completely with re: to Rezko. If not, I'm sure DOJ, FBI and other cooperating agencies will make sure damning evidence comes to light. Let's just hope we've seen the last of it.

With re: to Wright, I think this is a net plus for Obama. The main thing to come out of it is that he and his family go to church every week. While not a big pre-requisite for me, this does play well with a big swath of the country.

[Taxmyth]

51. Teflon is easily damaged

You just have to use something hard one time and the teflon is damaged forever.

[cali]

62. literal

aren't you?

[NastyRiffraff]

33. Heh. I didn't even read the comments before now, but I already knew what they'd say

Including, of course, the inevitable "teflon" (Psssst...that was originally an insult, meaning that things rolled off of him--Reagan, originally--so he was never held accountable.)

[JeffR]

39. Mm-hmm. Let's all be concerned about this

RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!111111111111111111

[Taxmyth]

48. Better now than in October

and if the news is bad in October then that will effect the other Democratic Party elections.

[JeffR]

56. I can't predict the future, but there's not much bad news ahead

That's my guess, anyway.

[rocktivity]

52. We have much heavier ammunition to hit McCain with.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Taxmyth]

54. absolutely

But it's not going to do any good if the Democratic nominee has to spend all their time explaining skeletons in their closet. That shouldn't be a problem with Senator Clinton because no ones life has been held up to such scrutiny for as long a period of time. Senator Obama on the other hand....

[rocktivity]

59. The Dems have skeletons in their closets. The Rethugs have monsters.

:headbang:
rocknation

[BringEmOn]

57. Chickenzzzzz coming home to roossssssst

[Hoof Hearted]

61. Fess up. You were looking at my sig photo when you wrote this, weren't you?

:)