Sen. Obama, time to call us about Rezko: [phone]

[carlotta]

From today's Chicago SunTimes:

As recently as Sunday, on ABC's "This Week" program, Obama's campaign manager, David Axelrod, insisted that Obama has fully responded to every question posed by reporters. But this is not so.

For months, Sun-Times investigative reporters have had a standing request to meet with Obama, face to face, to get answers to questions such as these:

• How many fund-raisers did Rezko throw for Obama?

• Obama is donating $150,000 to charity that Rezko brought into the campaign. But how much in all did Rezko raise?

• Did Rezko find jobs for Obama backers in the Blagojevich administration or elsewhere?

• Why did Obama only recently admit -- after Bloomberg News broke the story -- that Rezko had toured his South Side mansion with him in 2004 before he bought it?

Dribs and drabs of people's lives have a most unfortunate way of coming out in trials.

[indimuse]

1. shhh.. he's busy campaigning.

besides...the TRUTH would end his political career...forever.

[barb162]

13. Yeah and busy covering all his dirty tracks.

He refuses to answer over and over again, all the while proclaiming he's answered the questions.

[indimuse]

31. how he's run the campaign..

playing dirty and etc..then blames Hillary for what he's actually doing...all the while getting a free media ride...REZKO! HA!

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

2. You know something, I'm from Chicago and I keep wondering

why all this crap about Obama didn't come out earlier, let's say in 2004 when he ran against I can't remember how many opponents in the Senate primary...

Why wasn't the Sun Times, the Tribune and Carol Marin bitching about this then????

[barb162]

7. MAybe the reporters have been asking and he's been avoiding the answers.

The reporters did mention this yesterday in the news conference and he responded, come on guys, I've already answered eight questions. He always finds a way to avoid answering the hard questions, doesn't he.

[susankh4]

8. That's easy....

it was boring then, and noone cared.

Now it's national news... The big time. These reporters want national press. Simple as that.

Plus, they know that... if they can crack something open now, it will be worth lots to the GOP. Very soon.

[barb162]

10. How about it will be worth something to the electorate to have Obama vetted?

This guy keeps avoiding answering the questions. I think he is hiding a lot of dirt with Rezko.

[susankh4]

11. Sure. That too.

But... it would have been worth something to us quite a while ago. Before Mr. Obama got to where he is....

Now it's national news. And that makes all the difference.

No stone will remain unturned now.

[barb162]

15. And that will be good; better to find out the dirt now than

before it's a one-on-one with McCain in August or September.

[Dogmudgeon]

25. That's why HILLARY MUST DROP OUT NOW!!!!

If this drags on after today, he has 7 weeks to hold his troops together while the Rezko hearings proceed (3/25). And his team has already shown problems in dealing with pressure and a low frustration tolerance.

Of course, the Congress could, once again, obligingly postpone the hearings. But there are other dents to his halo coming, and in 50 days, a lot of angels can develop dirty faces.

Hillary also faces problems of her own. But it is Obama who holds the lead right now. In spite of the TODU* rhetoric, his lead is far from insurmountable, and if he becomes entangled in serious trouble over Rezko, that's it for his candidacy. (Hillary will be blamed, naturally.)

Even if he wipes Hillary out tonight, if he stumbles very badly, she can still be given the nom by the supers. And let it be known that Hillary faces the same kinds of jeopardy if from different sets of cirucmstances.

We have heard that Obama himself is worried, possibly with better reason than he lets on. A winner must, to some extent, be a worrier. I would far prefer to see him lose on the basis of Hillary's superior merits rather than a couple of poor judgments that would be picayune in any other context.

--p!
* Team Obama at DU

[Dinger]

33. I Think It's Been Known For A While, & Wonder How It Was Kept Quiet This Long (nt)

[Tatiana]

37. THANK YOU! Where was WGN, the Trib, Channel 5, Channel 2 News THEN?

If there's any tainted money, Obama should definitely give it back, which it looks like he has.

But until Fitzgerald says Obama is a suspect or has committed a crime, this is a non-issue for me.

[barb162]

41. per article: For months, Sun-Times investigative reporters have had a standing request

to meet with Obama, face to face, to get answers to questions such as these...."

[barb162]

3. What kind of "advice" did Obama want from Rezko?

He has never answered that.

[dysfunctional press]

23. rezko was a real estate developer with projects in the area...

he knew the neighborhood, and obama wanted his opinion, real estate-wise.

[riskpeace]

29. It also seems he wanted him to buy him a yard

I've also read that after the sale, Mrs. Rezko sold back a 10-foot strip of the adjoining lot she bought, which compromised the building options on this lot. The NY Times article on this transaction also said that Mr. Rezko was under investigation and deep in debt.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/us/politics/02rezko.html

The article is full of interesting facts about this sale. Both the house and the lot had to close on the same day, or no sale on either. The article also mentioned that Mr. Rezko borrowed money from his Iranian business partner to alleviate his debt and that Mrs. Rezko was earning less than $40,000 a year at the time she put $125,000 down and mortgaged $500,000 for the lot.

I believe that it is likely that Senator Obama will be the nominee. I also believe he is going to have to come up with a much better explanation than he wanted real estate advice.

[dysfunctional press]

34. "he is going to have to come up with a much better explanation..."

???

THAT IS the explanation...and the 5/6 portion of the lot IS still buildable.
i'm in chicago, have been following this for awhile, and there's NOTHING to it.

[barb162]

36. What did Obama give to Rezko in return for that $$$ parcel of land

He won't answer the questions. I suspect he won't be doing news conferences in the near future with the Chicago reporters.

[barb162]

35. Obama lives in that district; why does he need Rezko to tell him about the hood?

What, Obama doesn't know his own neighborhood after he has lived there for how many years?

[AndyA]

4. Barack Obama DOES need to come clean on Rezko.

There's more to it than he's admitted. Come on, the facts in the case stink to high heaven.

That real estate deal is just too cushy to be what they claim. NO ONE does that for someone they aren't very close to. NO ONE. Rezko and his wife are hardly generous people, there's always something in it for them.

So what did they get in return for the real estate deal? Very likely much more than we currently know.

[OhioBlue]

5. The Sun-Times investigative reporters are pretty

egocentric. I understand they want their story, but to put their phone number out there and expect the Senator to give them an exclusive interview while he is running a national campaign is quite naive.

[Little Star]

6. Or maybe quite smart. Tips ya know.

[barb162]

9. The Sun Times reporters are doing that to make a big point to the Great One

Answer our damn questions already! Quit avoiding, which is what he did again yesterday.

[barb162]

12. WHat did Obama give Rezko in return for the $300,000 lot next door to his mansion?

Why did Rezko's wife buy the lot next door to Obama's house the same day as Obama bought his mansion?

Obama refuses to answer!

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

20. Hey barb162, has it ever occured to you that

the Chicago Sun-Times is a right wing rag. It used to be a great paper but it has gone way downhill the past 10 years.

If this story is sooo important and Rezko is such a villain, again I have to ask why didn't this crap come out earlier in 2004?

[susankh4]

22. You have already answered your own question

They would rather give it to the GOP than to us.

It's worth waaayyyyyy more this way.

If they are a RW rag... the real question should be why are they letting it out now? Instead of next wek.

[barb162]

44. I don't know if they are right or left;but if they go after corruption, it's good

with me. I don't care if they go after Guv Ryan or Obama or Blago. Let the press go after corrupt officials of all parties.

If the press has been asking Obama for a long time as they indicate they have, why isn't he answering the damn questions already. I also think Carole Marin isn't a stooge for anyone.

Here's the thing, who gives someone a 300,000 land parcel for nothing in return? Okay, maybe a rich parent gives it as a wedding gift for a kid or something like that. I know when I bought my house no one stepped up with 300,000 bucks in hand to help me out. I really am glad the press is going after these questions. I've seen these questions in the press for well over a year, but never any answers.

[dysfunctional press]

24. do a little research...

the owners of the house, and the lot, had stipulated even prior to the purchase, that both properties had to close on the same day

[donkeyotay]

26. Just a hunch, but I think the sleazy part about Rezko

is the Obamas' involvement with him, not the possible loan from Auchi. I was wondering if Obama would be upsidedown on his mortgage, like so many Americans. But, apparently they paid cash for their $1.65m home. Michelle had her salary tripled, but still that's a lot of money. There is another explanation that doesn't involve Resko, and that is the advance Obama was given for his book. That raises the question of whether the advance, even though it was legal, was an effort to buy influence. I think Rezko may be a red herring on the money part. But Resko, as a measurement of character and the "I don't recall" denials since then, speaks volumes. And then there's Karl Axelrod. So much for new politics.

[Vinca]

27. You obviously are ignorant of real estate deals.

All kinds of strange things happen in real estate. It doesn't make it criminal. Just knowing someone who has shady dealings does not make a person guilty of anything. Ask the Clintons. 15 convictions re Whitewater along.

[riskpeace]

32. I do not want to nitpick, but . . .

It was a $625,000 lot. This article is very informative about this very fortunate sale for Senator Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/us/politics/02rezko.html

[barb162]

14. KICK!!!!

[thewiseguy]

16. Pretty desperate?

[BobbyVan]

17. Stay in the race Hillary...

If Obama implodes, we need you.

[BridgeTheGap]

18. What will happen at a brokered convention?

Al Gore ends up with the nomination?

[susankh4]

21. Maybe

But at least he's vetted.

[bowens43]

19. Yet another brand new Hillary supporter spreading shit nt

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

28. Hillary - about your $54 Million accumulated wealth - how did you do that?

and where are your tax returns?

Embarrassed? Fraid the jobless in Ohio might be sickened by your
crazy insane OMG unbelievable wealth?

I know I am.

[ProSense]

30. Asking a bunch a questions that have already been thoroughly debunked is the only scandal in the OP

8 things you need to know about Obama and Rezko

Chicago Tribune, Factcheck.Org, Washington Post: Obama Never Represented Tony Rezko

Obama comes clean, but Hillary's sleaze machine thrives

Hillary's campaign raises Rezko as Bill leaves campaign trail for fund raiser with Frank Giustra

[amborin]

38. tell us about the 14 million in bribes

[barb162]

39. BTW, the link for the Chicago Sun Times article is here

http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/823666,CST-EDT-edit04b.article

[LowerManhattanite]

40. Welcome...

...and farewell from DU.

[Capn Sunshine]

42. I JUST CALLED

and the number rings, then disconnects.

Hey, why didn't they ask him if he still beats his wife? It's a fair question.

Rezco my ass. HRC does NOT want to play this game.

ROSE LAW FIRM anyone???? TRAVELGATE? I was on her side then and those incidences ( two among 20) still reek.

[thoughtcrime1984]

43. Some names YOU may want to know

Google these people:

Jorge Cabrera
Johnny Chung
Norman Hsu
Ng Lapseng
Abdul Rehman Jinnah
Peter Paul


Also:
Info USA


The mud comes back at your candidate ten-fold.