The Rezko Connection: Obama's Achilles Heel?

[LiberalHeart]

Source: ABC News

In sharp contrast to his tough talk about ethics reform in government, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., approached a well-known Illinois political fixer under active federal investigation, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, for "advice" as he sought to find a way to buy a house shortly after being elected to the United States Senate.

The parcel included an adjacent lot which Obama told the Chicago Tribune he could not afford because "it was already a stretch to buy the house."

On the same day Obama closed on his house, Rezko's wife bought the adjacent empty lot, meeting the condition of the seller who wanted to sell both properties at the same time.

Rezko had been widely reported to be under investigation by the U.S. attorney and the FBI at the time Obama contacted him and has since been indicted on corruption charges by a federal grand jury in a case that prosecutors say involves bribes, kickbacks and "efforts to illegally obtain millions of dollars."

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4111483&page=1

[Barrett808]

1. I thought Mob ties were a requirement to be President...

...but people call me cynical.

[BlueIris]

2. This has the smell of Whitewater (the scandal about nothing) on it.

I'm not really a big fan of Obama, but this is ridiculous.

[LiberalHeart]

7. I dunno....the quotes around "advice" make me wonder if....

...it's ABC's contention he went to the guy for money, not advice. The outcome of asking for that advice does appear to have solved a financial problem for Obama. Did the wife buy the land to put a bit of distance between it and her hubby? I don't know if there's anything here, but I'd like to know more about it. I also wonder if the remainder of the land is buildable and if it has been sold or put to any use. If it sits with nothing on it and unsold, who's taking care of it? If the answer is no on both counts re buildability and whether it's been sold, and if whomever takes care of Obama's land is also taking care of that strip, I'd want to know if it's held onto as a buffer zone, in effect giving Obama that extra land without his having to pay for it. But, yes, it could just be a replay of Whitewater. And could be dragged out just as long by the opposition. If the person who bought before selling part to Obama went up against someone else for the land, as Obama contends, there must have been a reason the woman wanted to buy it at asking price. If she made no use of it other than to slice off a piece to sell to Obama, it raises questions. It just does. Period.

[joeglow3]

15. ABC. Enough said n/t

[TheDebbieDee]

10. I agree, but this is the kind of stuff that comes out in a vetting process.

I HOPE all the stuff that's turned up about Sen. Obama during the vetting process is as trivial as this.

[dmosh42]

3. Yep, same old, same old! n/t

[madrchsod]

4. why is this breaking news?

this story has been out in the open for at least one year now. there is nothing "new" that has any "ties" to obama. he has said everything there is to say about this matter.

[madmom]

6. for the same reason they keep bringing up Bill's bj, and John's hair cut.

[LiberalHeart]

8. I never heard about it before. Had no idea it's old news.

[truthisfreedom]

9. It's being put back into the news because he's in the limelight now, and the media can get some

milage out of a worn-out, used-up, debunked news story rather than reporting on what's actually happening around us.

[Phx_Dem]

18. How is it "debunked"?

I have not heard about this story until now. Obama stated his involvement with Rezko was "bad judgment" so the basic facts do not seem to be in dispute.

[dog_lovin_dem]

25. I just asked my husband the same

thing. Could this be the beginning of the swiftboating of Obama?
Good grief.

[TacticalPeek]

5. Being repeatedly slimed, smeared and lied about is part of the process now.

He may as well get used to it and show us how he tolerates or handles it.

[rayofreason]

11. The bloom is off the rose.

I had a feeling that after NH the MSM would pull back from Obama. They called it so spectacularly wrong, in the euphoria of the Iowa win, that I am sure they are reassessing coverage of Obama to make it more "balanced" (i.e., more negative) per Bill Clinton's request. Maybe some in the MSM are pissed at him ("How could he let us down and make us look foolish!") and want a little payback. Maybe the strong Hillary backers, who had been cowed by the seemingly unstoppable Obama bandwagon, now smell a bit of blood in the water and see an opportunity to strike.

Yes, childish behavior - I know, but it would be par for the course for many in the MSM.

[LiberalHeart]

12. It's typical of Americans to build folks up to mythic proportions, then kneecap 'em.

[aquart]

13. Is the man a real estate agent?

Why would Obama ask him about buying a house?

[ieoeja]

20. He is a real estate investor.

Obama worked with him on several low-income housing projects on the south side of Chicago.

Rezko was under investigation for possibily having pocketed some of the money intended for the aforementioned projects. Which means in the general election the Republicans are going to have to use this to accuse Obama of ties to a man who stole money from low-income, inner-city African-Americans.

And you know how strongly Republican voters feel about someone screwing poor Black people!

[hedgehog]

14. "Tony" Rezko is an Arab -American businessman who made money

running a chain of Papa John's pizza shops. Antoin Rezko later dropped the frnachise and renamed his restaurants Papa Tony's. He is also a developer who used money from federal programs to rehab up low income apartments.

Is he guilty of what he has been indicted for? Maybe, but he was indicted by the same Justice Department that indicted and convicted Governor Don Siegelman. It has been said that any US Attorney can get a grand jury to return an indictment on a ham sandwich. Indicting (but not necessariy convicting) prominent figures in Illinios has been a frequent jumping off tactic for a US Atorney entering politics.

Mr. Rezko was in Syria with his family when he was indicted. He returned to Chicago to clear his name.

[LiberalHeart]

16. Your post prompted me to go see if Fitz is in this...

Found this:
http://www.hillaryis44.org/?p=32

[Missy Vixen]

21. Better call Patrick Fitzgerald's office, then

>Indicting (but not necessariy convicting) prominent figures in Illinios has been a frequent jumping off tactic for a US Atorney entering politics.<

I'm sure it's going to come as quite a shock to him that he's "entering politics". He's stated repeatedly that he has no interest in holding political office.

Julie

[Kucinich4America]

24. ARAB AMERICAN?? CALL FUCKING CONGRESS RIGHT NOW !!!!111!!!!!!! THIS IS SERIES!!!!!11!!!

I TOLD YOU THESE ISLAMOFASCISTS TERRAISTS WOULD TAKE OVER THIS COUNTRY IF THEY LET THAT BAROQUE HUSSEIN OSAMA RUN FOR PRESIDENT!!!

/freep dumbass mode

[hedgehog]

17. So Hillary is 44 has been shopping this story since last April?

I don't think Obama has much to worry about.

[Acadia Blue]

19. The repig media wants him so they can tear him apart. They want

a corporatist in the White House, have no doubt what they really support, with few exceptions.

[AX10]

22. But this is different because Obama is the "chosen" one.

[originalpckelly]

23. OK, so his house fell off a truck, it's not the end of the world.

"I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse."

[NNN0LHI]

26. This has been reported on a lot by the Chicago newspapers

I have read most of it and have concluded there is no there there.

Don

[mopinko]

27. when was rezko indicted?

iirc, it was about the time that the obama buzz was getting going. i don't think he had been indicted when the house was bought.
yeah, what a scum bag, developing low income housing in a city where the poor can barely afford a roof over their heads. i agree with you don, no there there.

[Didereaux]

28. k/r

[Vinca]

29. Hasn't this been hashed, rehashed and hashed again?

This is the problem with Obama. He's got so few skeletons we have to keep getting beaten on the head with the old ones. What? No connection to cocaine during the house deal? Was there an Islamic real estate agent involved? Breaking! Obama had toe jams as a kid!