Reply #12: I totally agree. Durbin has done far more, and on tougher issues than [View All]

[ChairmanAgnostic]

Barack. And while Obama seems to disappear into the woodwork on hot botton issues, Durbin (except for his one apology) has taken the heat and stood his ground on a whole range of issues.

To those who think there is no smoke and no fire, you really have no clue about Illinois politics. There never is a quid pro quo. Never. Unless you are like "Quarters" Boyle or Stu Levine on a particular deal. The criminal element is far more patient in Illinois politics. They "invest" in people over a long period time. They put down markers and do favors, and collect people's souls. When the time comes and they need a favor back, bam. there it is. It has been that way since even before the time that a mafia family member headed the chicago police squad in charge of gaming, prostitution and cooperating with the Feds. It existed before Paul Powell was found dead but with shoe boxes filled with millions in cash in his closet (an infamous sec. of state) It existed before Ald. Roti determined who got city contracts and who got killed in Mayor's Row restaurant across from City Hall. It existed as long as Al Capone bought the entire city council and mayor off.

Anyone thinking that this was an innocent transaction and does not bode badly for Obama is naive. You don't understand how business is done in this state. And how scummy it is. OK fine. You want to make a major mistake on Obama, and see his campaign come crashing down to a halt at the worst possible time, fine, ignore the reality - the harsh, stark and unpleasant reality of a guy who should know better. And didn't.

I repeat, Rezko's poison. He will poison dozens of Illinois pols on both sides of the aisle. This will become a huge problem for Obama. Mark Brown, unless you are really dense, is not a political hack for the Suntimes. To the contrary, he writes fairly and researches well. Usually he has quite a bit more ammo that he does NOT write about. To claim that he is in the pay of Ken Mehlman is like the Hitler shooting the messenger about D-Day. Really, really shortsighted.