Obama says Rezko played a bigger fundraising role

[uberblonde]

Source: Chicago Tribune

Indicted Chicago businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko was a more significant fundraiser for presidential candidate Barack Obama's earlier political campaigns than previously known. Rezko raised as much as $250,000 for the first three offices Obama sought, the senator told the Tribune on Friday.

Obama also said for the first time that his private real estate transactions with Rezko involved repeated lapses of judgment. The mistake, Obama said, was not simply that Rezko was under grand jury investigation at the time of their 2005 and 2006 dealings. "The mistake was he had been a contributor and somebody involved in politics," he said.

In an extensive interview that he hoped would quell the lingering controversy over his relationship with Rezko, Obama said that voters concerned about his judgment should view it as "a mistake in not seeing the potential conflicts of interest."

But he added that voters should also "see somebody who is not engaged in any wrongdoing . . . and who they can trust."

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama-rezkomar15,0,2968927.story

---

Yeah, how about that "judgment"? The man behind both Illinois state house and U.S. Senate ethics legislation didn't see "the potential conflicts of interest." Hmmm.

[islandmkl]

better to realize and admit a mistake, or mistakes....

then to never acknowledge personal responsibility for one's actions, especially pertaining to voting to go to war in Iraq...

[aquart]

11. Doling out the truth, drip by drip.

Just ahead of public exposure. Gonna be a FUN administration.

Obama...a man who's careful with the truth.

[lark]

42. Or one could be totally hypocritical about stances

such as making speeches against the war then voting for it repeatedly once he was in office. Hey pot, meet kettle. Both candidates have the same stance, the exact same stance on Iraq and neither is the right or moral one. Richardson and Edwards had the message you seem to be erroneously attributing to Obama. Rather Obama says one thing and votes differently. Hardly a man to inspire me.

[tomhayes]

1. I call on the Clinton campaign to fire Obama as one of their spokespeople

Geez, I'm glad it was *he* who said it, and not Feraro :)

[kitfalbo]

20. Walk on

When dealing with people who have or make large sums of money some of them aren't quite honest.. but the same can be said about anywhere. The Cashier who takes an extra 20, the worker who doesn't clean their counter. It is hard not to run into and not have dealings with someone who has done something bad. Just don't do it yourself. Admit if you made a mistake and walk on.

[anonymeme]

24. Eh, Just Admit it & Walk Away. Accountability & Responsibility Are For Chumps, Right? NOT! [NT]

NT

[daleo]

29. Those are silly examples. n/t

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. "repeated lapses of judgment"

How does this get explained away?

[roguevalley]

19. same way as white water. we all know nothing was there but the

clintons losing their ass on a bad investment and this is about the same par.

[lark]

43. Not the same, not even close

Clinton lost money in a land deal. Obama bought land and was given land by a con man who was also his best friend whose family vacationed with his. Ken Lay comes to mind.

[babylonsister]

4. Good. Let him expose this so there will be no more questions.

I was hoping he'd talk about it.

And I don't think you want to go there with conflicts of interest, or did you forget about Hill and Bill?

[uberblonde]

5. Hey, it looks bad....

When the "new" politics look so much like the "old" politics.

[babylonsister]

7. I think it's worse when it's not addressed. I'm glad he's doing so. nt

[boilinmad]

34. I think...

....there is NOTHING comparable to the shit we've been subjected to by the current administraion. NOTHING !!

[pnwmom]

6. The Clintons won't be running against him then.

Fortunately, McCain carries some of his own baggage, having been one of the Keating 5.

But it's good Obama's addressing this now -- better to get it out of the way as much as possible.

[madrchsod]

13. axlerod is countering everything that is being thrown at barack

the recent race shit,the swift boating by someone has been dealt with,and now rezko is being cleared up...it`s a game of chess and the advantage is going to barack

[babylonsister]

14. Yep. It's a good thing! nt

[anonymeme]

27. No More Questions?! Wishful Thinking. An Old Saying: For Every Rat You See, There Are 50 You Don't!

NT

[Qutzupalotl]

46. That sounds like a wish on your part.

[indimuse]

8. oookkkk...

Isn't Barack Obama an Attorney and a Law Professor? This is a huge concern if your a you're the PRESIDENT!..
Obama said: voters concerned about his judgment should view it as "a mistake in not seeing the potential conflicts of interest."
He is sooooooooo NOT ready to be our next President.

[hayu_lol]

9. Puts an entire new twist on Hyde's phrase...

"Youthful transgressions."

Note that Obama said it was Rezco's fault.

[madrchsod]

12. so now it`s hillary`s turn to release her income tax files

it`s only fitting since obama has "confessed" to being stupid.

[indimuse]

17. Better idea.

since Obama has admitted to "being stupid"...I say, NO MORE STUPID PRESIDENTS! ok?

[anonymeme]

22. Hillary Has Stated Her Income Tax Returns Will Be Released April 15th. [NT]

NT

[Melinda]

25. No she didn't; she said TAX RETURN (singular) ON OR ABOUT 4/15 .

On or about 4/15 will translate until well after 6/1... no doubts here.

It will be their joint 2007 return only, they are not gonna release 2000-2006 returns as Obama has done... the Clintons will continue to hide their questionable Chinese, Saudi Arabian, Dubai and other *earnings*, as well as short stock and other dividend income from questional investments received during the period 2000-2006.

We the people are not stupid, puddytat.

[anonymeme]

28. Wrong-O & Here You Go, Statement Documented by 2 Sources:

Wrong-O & Here You Go, Statement Documented by 2 Sources:

In response, Hillary spokesperson Howard Wolfson sought to shift the discussion back to the Rezko story, a tale the Hillary camp will be hitting on relentlessly in the weeks ahead. "Their tax returns since they left the White House will be made available on or around April 15," Wolfson said, speaking of the Clintons. "Instead of making false attacks, we urge Senator Obama to release all relevant financial and other information related to indicted political fixer Tony Rezko."

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/03/obama_camp_getting_down_to_bus.php

http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/story?id=4373868

[uberblonde]

16. Let's see.

His "new politics" turned out to be "old politics."
His "post-racial" campaign thrives on labeling the Clintons as racists.
His judgment? He listened to his "gut."

Sound like anyone else we know?

[indimuse]

33. the "internets" guy?

oh yeah...

[donkeyotay]

36. Someone who was a born-again Christian, going to restore dignity and honor

Someone you "liked," who was one of us, who was bringing a new politics, who was a uniter not a divider and said his lack of qualifications wasn't an issue? No, I don't know who you mean.

[haymakeragain]

40. He didn't label them racists, they labeled themselves.

You cannot do what they are doing and cry like a stuck pig when you get called a racist. Sorry. Here's some coffee, smell it.

[haymakeragain]

39. Hillary is sooooooo ready

to give the Bush criminals a pass just like her hubby. She is soooooo ready to repay all her corp donors. She is soooooo ready to continue the idiot war policies of the corpo/repubic cabal.

SHE IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MORE OF THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gross.

[madrchsod]

10. that certainly clears up some doubts

and from what i have read about the trial there is nothing linking obama to any criminal charges. he has put it out there and is going to have to take his lumps.

when is hillary going to release her tax returns?

[uberblonde]

15. She's already said they'll be released, probably April 15th...

But definitely before the April 22nd primary.

The best you can do is "I know you are but what am I??"

Okay, Pee Wee.

[Melinda]

26. No she didn't; she said RETURN (singular) on or about 4/15. (gonna be 2007 only)

On or about 4/15 will translate until well after 6/1... no doubts here.

It will be their joint 2007 return only, they are not gonna release 2000-2006 returns as Obama has done... the Clintons will continue to hide their questionable Chinese, Saudi Arabian, Dubai and other *earnings*, as well as short stock and other dividend income from questional investments received during the period 2000-2006.

We the people are not stupid, puddytat.

[uberblonde]

18. Let me explain this to you, slowly so you can understand.

Why did he pick tonight to finally answer questions on Rezko?

When a politician voluntarily unloads a story 1) on a Friday night and 2) under cover of another much more controversial and active news story like the Rev. Wright, that means it's highly likely that there's more to come. This is what is known in politics as a "limited hangout."

So they dribble out a few things in hopes that that will delay or distract from the bigger story.

You'll see. There are a lot more unanswered questions about Rezko, and claiming faulty judgment won't make them go away.

[hifalutin]

31. It keeps on getting

'worser and worser'

[QUALAR]

21. DEBATES

The next debate could be disastrous for Obama unless, of course, Tinkerbell Couric is the moderator. I wonder what is Obama's stance on reparations for slavery. That is a hot button item that will probably resurface if he is elected President.

[uberblonde]

23. This is the THIRD time he's changed the Rezko fundraising total.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/432197,CST-NWS-obama18.article

6/18/07, Chicago Sun-Times</a>:

During his 12 years in politics, Sen. Barack Obama has received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted businessman Tony Rezko and his associates than he has publicly acknowledged, the Chicago Sun-Times has found.

Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle. Obama also has taken in an unknown amount of money from people who attended fund-raising events hosted by Rezko since the mid-1990s.

Obama has collected at least $168,308 from Rezko and his circle. Obama also has taken in an unknown amount of money from people who attended fund-raising events hosted by Rezko since the mid-1990s.

But seven months ago, Obama told the Sun-Times his "best estimate" was that Rezko raised "between $50,000 and $60,000" during Obama's political career.

And now it's gone up again. Gee, what else is he hiding?

[kelligesq]

30. Rezko + Wright = Bye Bye Obama. .........................now will

the obamamaniacs wake up ?

[haymakeragain]

37. Got war? How many troops died this week because of Wright's

sermon? Hill supported the war for cold, calculated political reasons. There is blood all over her.....and you.

[lark]

44. Wake up and smell reality

Obama voted to fund the war multiple times and didn't even vote for the withdrawal bill sponsored by Kerry. He has as much blood on his hands as Hillary, maybe more if hypocricy counts for anything. Both are wrong on that front.

[Uben]

32. Republicans will take this to the bank

...Obama is tainted.....must drop out now for the good of the party!

Does this not sound like something the Obama people would say? They seem to want us to give it to them, like they deserve it or something. Sorry, you gotta finish the game...we're only in the third quarter.

[haymakeragain]

38. No, it doesn't sound like that. It sounds like a desperate Clintonite,

trying to cheat to win a game that they are losing. Obamans only say Hillary should quit because she is losing and is tearing the party apart and can only win through nefarious deeds. Get it?

[Vinca]

35. Actually, the amount cited is a total of all the campaigns Obama

has ever run and the Chicago Tribune had previously run essentially the same story. It didn't sell papers before because Obama wasn't a household name. Now it's a huge scandal. They should also run a prison update on Hillary's donor, Hsu. Then, of course, there are the old Clinton financing scandals:

Eugene Lum: Clinton/Gore campaign contributor and colleague; felony conviction; money laundering (Los Angeles Times, "First Fund-Raising Sentences Meted Out" September 10, 1997)

Nora Lum: Clinton/Gore campaign contributor and colleague; felony conviction; money laundering (Los Angeles Times, "First Fund-Raising Sentences Meted Out" September 10, 1997)

Johnny Chung: Clinton/Gore campaign contributor and colleague; many visits to Clinton White House and Oval Office with mainland Chinese associates; several illegal campaign contributions, money laundering, tax fraud, and bank fraud guilty pleas (Associated Press: "Democrat Fund-Raiser Pleads Guilty" March 17, 1998)

Roger Tamraz: Clinton/Gore campaign contributor and colleague; many visits to Clinton White House and Oval Office; fugitive from Lebanon embezzlement convictions; target of French government financial investigation; BCCI connections (The Wall Street Journal: "Integrity of the Institutions" March 20, 1997

IMHO, Obama is being taken to the cleaners for less than what the other candidate has been involved in. I guess that's the price of being the front runner.

[donkeyotay]

41. So, he's saying we should overlook his lapse of judgment

"he never thought the now indicted Chicago businessman would try to take advantage of him" but when the bush administration used the media, the OSP and the CIA to mislead the nation about the threat of a nuclear bomb going off in an American city if we didn't act, Hillary should have realized she was being taken advantage of.

[candice]

45. Repeated bad judgment. Why do you think you are ready for prime time?