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Rezko, Obama, and the scandal
The name Tony Rezko has cropped up in the news a lot these days. You’ve probably heard or read that he’s a real-estate developer entwined in a corruption scandal–and oh, by the way, he has connections to Barack Obama. But if that’s as much of the story you know, then Newsweek has a guide to the facts and faces in the case that is quite handy for sounding news savvy while discoursing around the water-cooler.
Topic: Campaign 2008, WorldMagBlog
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back to top50 Comments to “Rezko, Obama, and the scandal”
Thank you for point this out. Just don’t write anybody’s middle name, okay?
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The only important thing I can see in this whole affair is that Obama wasn’t implicated in Rezko’s misdeeds.
He knows the guy, but there’s no evidence that he did anything wrong.
Like the Farrakhan non-scandal, the best anyone can come up with is an acquaintance. No evidence of any wrongdoing; no evidence of any agreement or condoning fo wrongdoing; no sign of any attempt to excuse wrongdoing.
Just pure guilt-by-association.
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Tony Abdullah AL-Rezko.
OOps!!
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I say appoint an independent prosecutor with a bottomless budget to investigate even the slightest whiff of impropriety.
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Now, we’re cooking with fire.
I even saw a news report on GMA today. Obama just dismissed the whole Rezko thing as if having a guy like this doing fundraising for him has no bearing on anything. Wasn’t it Benjamin Franklin who said something like “lay down with dogs, get up with fleas?” But don’t pay attention to that crook in the corner…. (yes, innocent until proven guilty).
Apparently, Obama had an absentee father and the claim is his father had all these dreams that he never fulfilled and Obama wants to fulfill them for him. I’m sorry his dad left him, that he didn’t know his dad, but I don’t feel the need to subject the country to his psychological need to be his daddy. (Come on, liberals, you remember what you used to say about GWB and his daddy? What goes around guys….)
And now I’ve read Obama saying something like “is ANYONE ever ready to be president?” Well, yeah. John McCain has decades of experience. What does Obama have? He has a far left voting record. How is that not divisive? How does that bring the country together? I want change, too, but not the changes this character has in mind.
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Evidently, SteveG is unaware of how Chicago politics is conducted. And people call me a Pollyanna.
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Obama should stick with cattle futures, they’re safer.
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NJLawyer: John McCain has decades of experience writing and voting on legislation and serving on committees. That’s not preparation for the White House.
Serving as a state governor is arguably the only real comparable experience. The chief executive is a very different job than that of legislator. None of the candidates this time out have that, however.
I do know how Chicago politics works. I still see no sign that Obama’s been involved in the shady side. He donated Rezko’s donations to charity once it became clear Rezko was shady.
I do fear that if he becomes the nominee he’ll be hurt by the cumulative weight of the innuendo campaigns that are already starting. He doesn’t need to be actually guilty of anything for that.
By the way though NJLawyer, I think your repeated assertions that you “just want to know” about Obama are disingenuous. You’re not going to vote for him anyway. What you actually want to is sow doubt among people who aren’t already committed in hopes of helping to defeat him.
That’s fine, but be honest enough to admit it.
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SteveG: Get a grip. McCain has been a member of a rather exclusive club of 100 for a LONG time. He has worked both sides of the aisle. He has experience. He’s forgotten more than Obama will ever learn. You write: “Serving as a state governor is arguably the only real comparable experience.” ONLY? ONLY? Again, get a grip. Giuliani was never a governor. Hillary was never a governor, but if you’re going to claim Bill’s time, let’s just claim his time as president, too, and tell her she’s had her two terms.
And if Obama wins, I don’t have a right to know who’s about to take the oath? Really? Just sit down and shut up, right? My goodness: sow doubt? Have you ever read your posts on Christianity? (i.e., your “defense” of polygamy).
You won’t survive this political campaign if you’re this touchy already in March! But perhaps there’s a subconscious thing going on in your own head now that people are asking questions. What are you afraid of? If there’s nothing wrong there, nothing will be found. I mean, if you want to believe that he did not have sex with that woman — oh, sorry, wrong candidate. I mean, if you want to believe he didn’t have shady dealings with that corrupt guy….
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he once wrote a letter to a state agency urging financial support for a senior-citizens project in which Rezko was an investor.
Let’s see, Obama gave every single cent to charity that this guy gave his campaign. The one “boneheaded” thing he did was write a letter of support for a “senior-citizens” project.
Yep, this certainly sounds like someone who is “on the take”. Obama sure has shown what type of person he is.
In the meantime, Bush and the Republicans have handed out no bid contracts like candy corn. National debt anyone????
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Sawgunner [3] — LOL
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So, RDean wants us to elect Obama with the full understanding that he won’t be handing out favors to these people? He took the money knowing full well who these people were. He gave it back because he got “caught.” Why was he hanging out with this guy in the first place? Does he have friends who haven’t surfaced yet?
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90% of Obama’s campain contributions are 100 dollars or less. This has been reported in the news, so who has bought him? The American people? Good.
It wasn’t “these people”, it was, his next door neighbor. And what did he get “caught” doing? Accepting campaign contributions. Yea, sounds dirty.
Smear by suggestion anyone? Democrats could learn a few things about dirty politics from the Republicans. They are the best at being worst.
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NJLawyer at #9: You write: “Serving as a state governor is arguably the only real comparable experience.” ONLY? ONLY? Again, get a grip. Giuliani was never a governor. Hillary was never a governor, but if you’re going to claim Bill’s time, let’s just claim his time as president, too, and tell her she’s had her two terms.
I said arguably .. i.e. it can be argued. I agree that being mayor of a large city is comparable.
But no, I don’t count Hilary’s time as first lady. If you read my post you see I said NOBODY running this time has that high-level executive experience.
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SteveG – The land deals relating to Obama house purchase are a little more suspicious looking that you make it out to be (Rezko’s wife bought the vacant property next to Obama’s house when Obama was unable to afford both the house and the adjoining lot – the lot is effectively integrated into open space for the house – that looks a little cozy to me – although far from solid evidence of anything criminal).
Rdean – Just because people break up their donations into small increments, it’s all OK? The important thing is cumulative donations from single sources (including related entities).
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An important question in the Rezco land deal is why the purchase of a 10 foot wide land segment for $125k ? If in purchasing the land strip, the remainder of the lot became unbuildable (due to zoning width requirements etc) then that woulod be equivalent to giving the whole lot to him for $125 or a $500k gift.
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I’d be interested to hear some of you very eager conservatives discuss why this allegation is well supported and the Times’ article on McCain is an unsubstantiated smear.
What specifically do you say Barack Obama has done wrong? In what way is the evidence of this wrongdoing stronger against Obama than it is against McCain?
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KRM, Obama has had more than a million different contributors. It’s ridiculous to suggest, without any evidence whatsoever, that they’re all part of some broad coalition of dirty money.
How could a politician’s financial support possibly be more transparently grassroots than Obama’s is?
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#18: without any evidence whatsoever, that they’re all part of some broad coalition
It IS a coalition. A coalition of US citizens.
The real problem here is the Republicans, the party of the “moral majority”, have had such dirty leaders for the last seven years that it kills them to know a Democratic leader could be clean. It’s just too much.
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I doubt whether this Revko matter will go away soon. Obama has been involved hip-deep with Revco for years and Revko has been similarly involved with Nahdmi Auchi pf Iraq.
The Times [of London] also published a Timeline of “Events bringing Nadhmi Auchi, British-Iraqi billionaire, together with Antoin Rezko, Barack Obama’s fundraiser”, which is reproduced here:
# Spring 2004: Nadhmi Auchi visits Illinois and Michigan, attending an event at Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. Senator Obama shakes hands with Middle East businessmen at event at Four Seasons in Chicago, but aides say he does not remember Mr Auchi
# 2004: Mr Auchi makes first investment in 62-acre land development project Riverside Park in Chicago, according to Mr Rezko’s lawyer.
# June 16, 2004: AR Pizza established in Delaware. Mr Auchi is “passive investor” in the company.
# April 28, 2005: Mr Auchi’s conglomerate General Mediterranean Holding (GMH) lends $3.5 million to Tony Rezko.
# May 23, 2005: Fintrade Services SA, a Panamanian company related to Mr Auchi, registers loan to Mr Rezko, secured by Mr Rezko’s stake in AR Pizza.
# June 15, 2005: Mr Rezko’s wife Rita buys garden plot on same day as Obamas buy neighbouring mock Georgian mansion from same seller. Mrs Rezko pays asking price of $625,000, with a $500,000 mortgage. Obamas pay $1.65 million, which is $300,000 less than the asking price.
# September 30, 2005: GMH makes $11 million loan to Mr Rezko.
# November 2005: Mr Rezko lobbies US State Department and, apparently, elected officials to try to get a US visa for Mr Auchi, prosecutors say.
# December 7, 2005: AR Pizza sued by Papa John’s pizzeria chain.
# January 2006: Mrs Rezko sells 10-foot strip of garden plot to the Obamas for $104,500.
# November 2006: Mr Rezko tells court he is broke. Mrs Rezko says she has salary of $37,000 and $35,000 in assets.
# December 28, 2006: Mrs Rezko sells remainder of garden plot to Michael Sreenan, a lawyer for her husband’s business, for $575,000.
# Spring 2007: Mr Rezko flies to London to meet a “business partner”, court records state.
# April 4 2007: Mr Auchi’s GMH makes $3.5 million loan to Mr Rezko, transferring the money from Beirut to Mr Rezko’s lawyers.
# June 13, 2007: Mr Rezko informs the court that he will reduce his interest in the 62-acre Riverside Park project in Chicago from 40% to 20% to reduce his debt.
# July 5, 2007: GMH wires $200,000 to Mr Rezko’s lawyers.
# December 5, 2007: Mr Rezko writes to GMH affiliate in Beirut to arrange a further $3.8 million cash plus forgiveness of $200,000 in return for liquidating his remaining stake in Riverside Park.
# January 28, 2008: Mr Rezko jailed for violating his bail by failing to declare $3.7 million in payments from Mr Auchi’s companies.
# March 3, 2008: Mr Rezko’s corruption trial due to begin in Chicago.
Possibly, Obama is an innocent party in these events, though at the least many reasonable questions have been raised, particularly in relation to the purchase of Obama’s mansion. The reality is that Obama has involved himself with Revko, an exceedingly shady character in the notorious politics of Chicago, and is now paying the price for it.
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You’re implying that Obama is something less than perfect! You must be a racist!
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Peter, the guy’s name is Rezko. Revco is a drugstore.
NJLawyer at 39: My goodness: sow doubt? Have you ever read your posts on Christianity? (i.e., your “defense” of polygamy).
Read them? I wrote them! And I was right on that issue, too. It’s interesting to see Christians who insist the Bible is the true and infallible Word of God suddenly become unwilling to address what it actually says in plain language.
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SteveG, thanks for the spelling correction, though one notes you had nothing to say about the issue at hand.
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jjf – getting a very dirty donor to essentially buy half of your lot (which you couldn’t afford on your own) for you raises some questions, doesn’t it?
There is a lot more substance to this than the NYT smear attempt on McCain. As Rezko’s criminal trial pregresses, we’ll likely see if there is more to the connection with Obama (although the Illinois Governor seems to be the real next-down-the-road target of the prosecution).
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Peter:
What is the issue at hand? Specifically, what do you say Barack Obama has done wrong? And as a matter of interest, how is the evidence of Obama’s supposed wrongdoing stronger than the evidence of McCain’s supposed wrongdoing (which you vociferously dismissed, if I recall correctly).
Looking through your timeline, Obama’s name comes up in only three entries:
Shaking someone’s hand at a political event is not even evidence of acquaintance, let alone collusion. Other than that, you’ve got that the Rezcos helped him buy a property by purchasing the other half, then 6 months later sold a 10′ strip of that property back to him at what looks like fair market value. That’s neither illegal nor unethical.
So what is the issue? It looks to me like you’re digging furiously for dirt, and the best you can come up with is a protracted and tenuous guilt by association argument: Obama knew Rezko, Rezko knew Nahdmi Auchi, Auchi knew Iraqis. Are you playing seven degrees to Osama bin Laden, or something?
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KRM:
What specifically, is the “more substance” you see here?
For example, do we know if Obama did any political favors for Rezko? We do know McCain did for his lobbyist pals. McCain admitted as much in his Congressional testimony and in his book.
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#25: Specifically, what do you say Barack Obama has done wrong?
They shook hands.
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JJF — they’re looking for Whitewater.
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JJF,the evidence to date is simply suggestive and circumstantial. However, Rezco has been an important fund raiser for Obama, and the fact that Mrs. Rezco and Obama bought contiguous properties on the same day at the least raises questions that aren’t going to vanish.
As I remarked earlier, Obama could be innocent of wrongdoing, though given the cast of characters and the nature of Chicago politics one would be naive not to raise questions about this. Obama himself admitted that the real-estate deal was a bone-headed mistake; we shall undoubtedly see whether it was of the innocent or willful variety.
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And we found what we’re looking for in Canada. Obama told the people of Ohio one thing and had his economic adviser call the Canadians to tell them don’t worry, it’s just political posturing, we don’t mean it. See the just released Canadian govt. internal memo. Obama is dishonest.
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What “questions that aren’t going to vanish” does it raise? What do you suggestively and circumstantially potentially suspect Obama of maybe doing here?
I’ll point out that you did not take this same mellow “there may be something here — wait and see” attitude toward the Times article on McCain.
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jjf – OK, look at it this way – a dirty political operative (Rezko) bought half the property for a candidate’s home (Obama) – not the least bit suspicious?
No, we don’t know at this point what – if anything – was done or supposed to be done for this “favor”. Give it some time though, there is more to it than some staffer feeling uncomfortable about a candidate being too close to a lobbiest.
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JJF, the first question is why is it that Mrs. Rezco and Obama bought contiguous properties on the same day.
Secondly, did this have anything to do with Obama buying the Chicago house for $300,000 less than the offered price?
Also, since we know that Rezco was an important fund-raiser for Obama and that he received a 3.5 $million loan from Auchi, just what was expected of Obama?
If the New York Times can raise questions about McCain’s relations with lobbyists, then why can’t we raise questions questions about St. Obama?
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#33: Secondly, did this have anything to do with Obama buying the Chicago house for $300,000 less than the offered price?
If you ever bought a house, you would know that if you have any ability to negociate, you would probably pay less than what was asked for. If you paid more, then you would be a very poor negociator.
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$300,000 less. He’s one heck of a negotiator.
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Peter,
First of all, didn’t you argue that the NYT shouldn’t have raised those questions about McCain’s relationship with lobbyists? Are you now going back on your standards regarding honest reporting? (That might have been Peter L., though, I get you two confused.)
I asked what specifically you think Obama may have done wrong. First you give a couple vague responses and plant a few leading questions:
So what if they did? The Newsweek article makes it pretty clear, I think, that Obama and the Rezkos convinced the seller to split the property and they each bought half. There’s nothing illegal or unethical in that.
The only specific response you give is this:
In other words, you suspect Obama was “bought” by Rezko and his wealthy backer. I do believe it is fair to investigate Obama’s relationship with Rezko, but you must also admit that at this point you have no evidence whatsoever of any improper relationship. So it is not fair to insinuate at this point that Obama has done anything wrong.
The most telling metric would be legislation Obama supported that favored Rezko. That would not prove wrongdoing, but it would be an indicator that further investigation is justified (as it is in McCain’s case).
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And yet, Obama gave every single cent given to him by Rezko to charity. Sounds awful fishy.
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RDEAN wrote; “90% of Obama’s campain contributions are 100 dollars or less. This has been reported in the news.”
According to a recent report I heard, Obama mis-spoke. The actual figure (according to the report I heard) is $1,000.00 per donation, not $100.00.
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jjf – Take a good read of
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120450564143806509.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
Obama essentially got a $800,000 gift ($300 reduced price on home, and $625,000 for the $125,000 he paid Rezko for the sliver of the adjoining lot – that rendered the adjoining lot unbuildable). Recall too that Rezko’s wife reported a $37,000 a year income and Rezko is reportedly without assets or income.
It is much more suspicious than the McCain flap.
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Presidential candidate raises record amount during second quarter
By By Katie Slaughter
Posted: 7/9/07 Section: News
zoom Credit: Jim Cole, The Associated Press
Media Credit: Jim Cole, The Associated Press
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen Barack Obama of Illinois poses with supporters during a campaign stop in Laconia, N.H., Monday, July 2, 2007.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama, D-Ill., recently raised $32.5 million in the second fundraising quarter, setting the record for the most money raised in one quarter by a Democratic candidate.
According to Associated Press reports, this puts Obama ahead of his top rival, Hillary Clinton, who is expected to have raised between $21-27 million during the second quarter, which ended June 30. Republican frontrunners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney raised $17 million and $14 million, respectively, in the second quarter.
“Senator Obama’s campaign is historic in the sense that he has so many people enthusiastic and inspired to get involved,” said Famid Sinha, National Communications Director of Students for Barack Obama.
Sinha is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania.
During the second quarter, 258,000 donors contributed to the Obama campaign and 90 percent of these funds came from donations of less than $100.
——I think the average now is something like 108 dollars a person. That was the last I heard.
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In a more serious mood — there may be two issues at work here.
First, there is a legitimate issue of whether Sen. Obama’s involvement with Rezko resulted in some distortion of duty or corruption of office. Corruption of this sort can be direct, a quid pro quo, or it may be indirect where the corrupter finds some beneficence bestowed by a third party. Influence is very rarely blatant or direct — that’s one reason for discounting some of this story. It’s just too dumb.
But second, there is another issue here, where the concern is not about the corruption of office, but the demolition of the opponent; “raise the negatives” as the political advisor might say. This is a darker game, since at its core the argument is essentially that of don’t vote for so-and-so because his association with this corrupt individual invalidates him (and that’s just what you would expect from members of his party!).
The first is concerned with the question of qualification for office, the latter with qualification of the person. The first is finally a matter of policy outcomes, the second a matter of celebrity (non)status. It is not clear to me how this second path especially matches a Christian commitment. Nonetheless, it is something we all love to do, left and right.
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Score one for our Republican friends. Yes, the Obama/Rezco deal on the house and property smells bad. Even I don’t like it.
But I doubt any one of us would stand up to scrutiny and come out squeeky clean.
With power (religious or political) and money, people have the potential to commit bigger transgressions.
Is this politically motivated? Absolutely! If our Republican friends know how to do anything well, it’s spread rumors and innuendo about a person. Destroying a person, by any means necessary, is how Republicans do business now.
Interestingly, a fair number of our conservative Christian friends have decided that spreading rumors, innuendo and slander is no longer a sin.
Well, our Republican friends should look in their own house before casting stones about. They’ve got one on Obama so far. Whereas, there are a fair number of questionable and shady goings-on with Senator McCain.
I fully expect it’s going to get nasty – horribly nasty – by November. And I expect our conservative Christian friends to pull their own weight in that regard. They’re off to a good start on here already.
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I have repeatedly noted here on this site that Obama has a very good reputation among the Illinois political circles – he’s widely considered as a very decent guy.
The Rezko stuff just looks bad, and the explanations so far have been pretty meager (especially coming from a couple of Harvard lawyers).
If the NYT is going to run such pitiful whisps of non-stories as it has on McCain, it does seem odd that this story gets so little play.
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KRM, is Obama considered a decent guy because he votes “present” rather than yes or no? He may be a decent guy but has he “accomplished” anything in Illinois. We know about his vote on the personhood of a baby who survives abortion from another thread, but what else is there?
Who gets $800,000 “gifts?”
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Anlir writes: “But I doubt any one of us would stand up to scrutiny and come out squeeky clean.
… With power (religious or political) and money, people have the potential to commit bigger transgressions.”
Any of us? I used to be the first reviewer in chambers of financial disclosure reports of judges. They have already been reviewed in Washington, and the judge would also review them. I can honestly say that those people overwhelmingly stood up to scrutiny — and those who didn’t were prosecuted. That’s but one example (about a lot of people).
Yes, people have the potential, perhaps “opportunity” for bigger transgressions, but that’s not the same thing as transgressing. People in power who understand power and who are good people don’t make mistakes such as this Rezko business. Obama went to Harvard, for crying out loud. He didn’t know this smelled bad? The only kind of lawyer who would be involved in an ethically challenged transaction is well, ethically challenged. He should have, at the least, been careful not to give the appearance of impropriety. That he didn’t think about that with all his education impacts on his judgment. And if he can’t handle a simple real estate transaction totally above board, why would we want to allow him to conduct the country’s business?
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I’ve learned to never underestimate the ability of people to come on here and self-righteously judge other people, while ignoring the log in their own eye.
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The most telling metric would be legislation Obama supported that favored Rezko.
Kinda hard when the guy has essentially no record.
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Kyle A (#1) Oh…..you mean Barak HUSSEIN Obama??
HUSSEIN
HUSSEIN
HUSSEIN
HUSSEIN
ring a bell?
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So, Anlir, are you saying character shouldn’t matter in a president? If federal judges can conduct themselves above board, why can’t presidential candidates? Why should we expect less from them?
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#48: Oh…..you mean Barak HUSSEIN Obama??
The name comes from his father, who happened to be Muslim. But his father left when he was two and Obama (sounds like Osama, you know, the guy Bush let go) was raised a Christian, like I suspect you were.
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