Obama Is Not Open For Questions About Blagojevich

While some print outlets just bury the Democratic label deep within an article, on television we're not seeing that [the party label] at all. We've seen that in the Blagojevich coverage. You could have watched CBS today and not found a single mention that the indicted Illinois Governor is a Democrat.

I can't see how there could not be a discussion between these two (Obama and Blagojevich). It makes absolutely no sense that they din't. If "Hot Rob" wanted the Health position in exchange for the senate seat who is the most likely person he would tell? His wife, the Mayor, President Bush or President Elect Obama, the person who is the giving out this post. Do you go to the dry cleaner to buy bread or the bakery?

Also, the media is acting like "Hot Rod" is close friends with Tony Rezko (an Arab with middle east ties), but truth is that Rezko has been friends with Obama since he was a student at Columbia University in Manhattan. Remember that fishy real estate deal?

As for Jessie Jackson Junior, if he is caught on tape agreeing to pay for the position, he better start taking his measurements for his orange jump suit. I have yet to hear him categorically deny this, I hope for his sake he was smart enough not to.

By the way, it was reported in Chicago that the day after the elections, Barak Obama met with Gov. Blagojevich that afternoon to discuss this same matter. This, not what Obama is saying, makes sense for the Gov. to react this way to Obama. The attitude seems to be .."He is not not giving me my Health and Human Resources post, I am not giving the Senate pick to his female candidat; before I do, I will appoint myself. LOL I hope the Feds do not back down and take it all the way to the top.

Blago has been radioactive for some time and almost every Illinoisan has been aware...not shocking that many distanced themselves as much as they could...

just remember the Prosecutor is from Illinois...he is a great guy...get the facts then point fingers...i understand that untrained folks throw darts like that, but many that are aware of what alleged means should tread lightly...careers can be crushed by accident...

one potential innocent may have had the wings clipped already and may never fly higher than currently achieved...

just sayin'

Veritas

It is ok to learn the party affiliation but not really that necessary. The media don't want to say he is a democrat because it makes Obama looks bad, since he is from that cesspool.

A crook is a crook whether he is Repub. or Dem. Send them all to jail without fear of favor.

If you are interested in real information on this scandal, information that you won't get in the liberal media visit this website:

http://scoop.com.nz/stories/hl0804/s00064.htm

Let me know what you think?

Ask me no questions, and I will tell
you no lies.
Phyllis Kunz

Much to do about nothing...thin thread--Obama did not support him in the primary and only come around when he was the party candidate...Of course, some discussion had to have been had between the campaign and the Gov'ner...as to the appointment for the vacant seat! Trying to link this to other nefarious dealings is just conjecture on the wingnuts part!!

This guy was in the stes of the AG for some time and has been accussed of much more dasterardly deeds --like the Childrens Hosp blackmail and etc!!!

Sloww news day , yep!!

To tie t

Do I hear the foot steps of another WATERGATE or WHITEWATER. WHERE IS MONICA WHEN OBAMA NEEDS HERE. When are we going to see the two step from the slime machine from Chi town. When is the Chief of Staff going to call up the goon squad?

ok. president elect obama another one of your cronies in trouble? nice company you keep. why not be opened for question you owe it to the voters to answer all questions. concerning this crooked blagojvich and his wife. you can fool people some of the time but not all of the time. the dirt comes out of the wash.
dottie

Yeah, Obama never had anything to do with him? Right. Guess Obama wouldn't give him the money so he was looking for other sources and Obama had him turned out? Politicians are crooks and criminals always screw each other. You don't rise out of Chi town without being dirty. Maybe we should just admit corruption is our way of life like they did in Thailand? "America is only about money"- Meyer Lansky who built Las Vegas with the Teamster's Pension fund money.

You have to bear in mind that this is an ongoing investigation. It does not stop here. They swoop down on this guy because they didn't want him to appoint someone or himself and taint the US Senate.

WELL THIS IS A SHOCKER ! HERES SOME CHANGE WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THIS IS THE ONLY CHANGE AMERICA IS GETTING:


WWW.USAWAKEUP.ORG

OBAMAS MISSION:


A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.

Marcus Tullius Cicero [ancient Roman scholar, lawyer, statesman and orator 106BC - 43BC]

i guess the wackos need something...let them chase Blago...

Obama...check out your transition team...make sure there aren't links...if found...toss them...but assume the nutty Governor heard voices in his own head or reading his own tea leaves until you can get proof...

the country is in trouble...stay focused on the economy...please

ignore ignorance...this is Blago's problem...let him wear it

we suffer fools...like zac

a little bit of knowledge is as dangerous as a monkey with a machine gun

Voice of Reason11:39AMDec 11th 2008

i guess the wackos need something...let them chase Blago...

Obama...check out your transition team...make sure there aren't links...if found...toss them...
__________________________________
VoR, so many of his associates have been tossed under the bus that pretty soon he'll have to commission an aircraft carrier.

docb11:40AMDec 11th 2008

Much to do about nothing...thin thread--Obama did not support him in the primary and only come around when he was the party candidate...Of course, some discussion had to have been had between the campaign and the Gov'ner...as to the appointment for the vacant seat! Trying to link this to other nefarious dealings is just conjecture on the wingnuts part!!

This guy was in the stes of the AG for some time and has been accussed of much more dasterardly deeds --like the Childrens Hosp blackmail and etc!!!

Sloww news day , yep!!

_____________________________________
Speaking of hospitals, didn't Michelle Obama get a big fat raise while sitting on the board of another Chicago-area hospital? Coincidental?

Obama put this to rest in the press conference today.

As he says, some people are called into politics by a desire to perform public service and others see it as a business.

He also said that he had no contact with the governor's office personally regarding selection of a senator and knows for certain no offers of any kind were made by his campaign.

He's credible and consistent. His detractors obviously want a do over at any expense and never were.

But it is what we've grown to expect of republicans since Rove and the exact reason they were kicked to the curb in '06 and last month.

But their solution is of course to try more of the same thing and their reward will be what it's always been.

Especially here on the blogs the right wing blogules sound hauntingly like baghdad bob or that woman who thought she was david letterman's wife. It's what Rachael Maddow charitably calls 'post rational' behavior.

Relevance is, well, relevant. If they want to focus on trivia it's what's cost them everything they've lost, so no problem if they want to keep digging deeper, I guess.

Maybe a decent and relevant republican party could be built on the grave of this one and we could get back to where we were going before reagan tried to turn us into another version of our WWII and cold war enemies.

I honestly do not believe Obama had anything to do with this, and that is apparent from the tapes themselves. Whether or not a member of Obama's campaign mentioned numerous names of possibilities for the Senate position is not a crime in any sense of the word; and the tapes make clear that whoever the governor appointed, he would receive no "reward" from Obama. Compared to the things that happened during the Bush Administration - this is a "tempest in a teapot."

Its also newsworthy, but not newsworthy enough to eclipse the real problems Americans are hoping this Administration can improve. The President Elect and the American people have a lot more important, if less entertaining, things to worry about. For many Americans, it comes down to simple worries like "how to save my home from foreclosure"; and for others: "how do I explain to my very young children why I lost my job and am giving less this Christmas." For others its: "how do I make the hospital give me chemotherapy without insurance because its not considered 'urgent' until it makes me unable to work."

Lets put our primary focus on the real problems we

Excerpt from Evenlyn Pringle's article on Scope....

"In Illinois, favored politicians are joined at the hip when it comes to fundraising. For instance, from 1999 through 2006, an analysis by the Chicago Tribune shows Obama took in more than $1.5 million from some 700 people who also contributed to Mayor Daley during his political career.

A cursory review of Illinois campaign records shows Allison Davis and his family members giving close to $16,000 to Obama's presidential campaign. The Sun-Times reports that Davis has donated more than $400,000 to dozens of political campaigns, and the top beneficiaries include Mayor Daley, Blagojevich and Obama.

The truth about all the scams run by the political mafia operating in Illinois is only coming out now because of Rezko's corruption trial, and if the Democrats want to lose any chance of winning the White House, all they have to do is nominate Obama.

This case is only the first of what could be many to go to trial. Other criminal charges are pending against several people listed in the indictment, and civil lawsuits have been filed against many of the same people and are awaiting the outcome of the criminal cases.

If Obama had an ounce of respect for Democratic voters, he'd drop out of the race before the details of the corruption in Illinois spread to the rest of the country. If the leaders of the Democratic party had a lick of sense, they would inform Obama right now that under no circumstances will his name be on the ballot come fall.

Political junkies know the details of all the sordid scandals swirling around Obama in Chicago, but the average American voter does not have a clue.

The prosecution team is led by the US Attorney for Northern Illinois, Patrick Fitzgerald, of Scooter Libby fame; the same guy who put the last Illinois Governor behind bars and convicted a host of government officials from the Daley administrations who were involved in what prosecutors called "pervasive fraud" to rig city hiring for 12 years with persons who got out the vote for Mayor Daley, and the candidates he endorsed, as well as numerous crooks rounded up during the scandal involving Daley's Hired Truck program.

The list of names in the indictment includes about eight persons referred to as "Co-Schemers," and reads like a "who's who list" of major campaign donors to Obama, Blagojevich, Daley and other powerful Illinois politicians.

Blagojevich is referred to as "Public Official A," Obama is referred to as a "political candidate," and there is a list of "Individuals" from "Individual A" all the way up to "Individual HH."

By now, everybody following the case knows the names of the "Co-Schemers" and "Individuals", and the Republicans can use the court filings as a roadmap for their plan of attack on Obama. In fact, they are probably editing their talking points for cable news shows as we speak. They no doubt already have video clips in the can of every failed low-income housing project in Chicago connected to Obama to splash across the airwaves the minute he is nominated.

In addition, the Chicago Tribune has two ace reporters, Bob Secter and Jeff Coen, stationed at the courthouse, who provide a daily blog called "Gavel-to-Gavel" on the Tribune website which gives a blow-by-blow account of the live testimony in the trial every few hours.

The names of corrupt politicians and power brokers from both the Democratic and Republican parties are being dropped before the jury like flies. Many of the witnesses, including the main co-defendant, Chicago businessman Stuart Levine, have already pleaded guilty and are testifying under grants of immunity in hope of getting a lighter sentence, which means they have everything to gain by testifying about the other crooks.

Although the Tribune's Gavel-to-Gavel coverage is just as good as having a front-row seat in the courtroom, the Obama camp apparently feels the need to monitor the trial first-hand. On March 14, 2008, during an interview with the Sun-Times, a reporter said to Obama: "You have somebody in the courtroom to monitor the trial, right?"

"We may," he replied, "I think that may be true."

The case involves the corruption of two state regulatory boards. The investigation, dubbed "Operation Board Games," by the Feds, began in December 2003, based on information supplied by an informant. Its now obvious that Rezko was aware of the investigation as early as 2004, because during a January 16, 2007, court hearing his attorney, Joe Duffy, told US District Judge Amy St Eve that he was hired in 2004.

"And my guess is you hired Mr. Duffy to deal with the Feds?" the judge said to Rezko, and Rezko replied, "Yes, your Honor."

The first board controls the Teachers Pension System, which administers pensions and benefits for all Illinois teachers except for those in Chicago, and the Health Facilities Planning Board, which approves all proposals for construction projects that involve medical facilities in Illinois.

The Teacher's Pension fund has over $30 billion in assets. Investment firms that want to do business with the fund submit proposals, and the board votes on whether to approve the proposal. Some members of the board are elected by teachers in the state, others are appointed by the governor and others serve by virtue of their state office such as the school superintendent.

On Blagojevich took office, the Schemers were able to stack the TRS board with members who would vote whichever way they were told. Once they accomplished that feat, they demanded kickbacks from investment firms in exchange for the approval of their proposals.

Rezko's partner in the Rezmar development company, Daniel Mahru, is referred to as "Individual Z" in the indictment, and according to court filings, Rezko told Mahru that "$500 million" of TRS money was earmarked for their company. Mahru is reportedly cooperating with federal investigators.

In addition to lining their own pockets, the money gained through the scheme was funneled to the campaigns of Blagojevich and Obama. Prosecutors have identified two $10,000 payments that were made to Obama's US Senate campaign through straw donors Joseph Aramanda and Elie Maloof, which originated from a kickback paid by investment firm, Glencoe Capital, to secure approval for a $50 million deal.

Aramanda and Maloof also each gave Obama $1,000 for his failed run for Congress in 2000. Once Obama became a US Senator, Aramanda's son was granted a coveted intern position in Obama's Senate office in Washington during the summer of 2005, based on a request which the Obama's camp has admitted came from Rezko.

Levine was appointed to the TRS Board in 2000, by Republican Governor George Ryan and was reappointed in 2003 by Blagojevich. As part of the team led by Levine to rig the votes, Blagojevich appointed, attorney Anthony Abboud, to serve. He is "Individual Q" in the indictment. He has been donating money to Obama's political career since March 2000, with a total of more than $2,800.

Blagojevich also appointed, attorney Jack Carriglio, or "Individual R." On June 30, 2003, Carriglio donated $1,000 for Obama's US Senate campaign.

The TRS story has the makings of a great Hollywood movie with subplots upon subplots. Allison Davis, or "Individual BB," was a friend of Hollywood producer Tom Rosenberg, who produced the movie, "The Human Stain," with Anthony Hopkins and Davis in a small part. He also produced the Oscar winning, "Million Dollar Baby."

Rosenberg, or "Individual J," is a central figure in the case. His investment firm, Capri Capital Advisers, a real estate manager, had done about a billion dollars of business with the TRS in the past and wanted to do more. In 2004, the Schemers tried to coerce a bribe from Rosenberg, or in the alternative a $1.5 million contribution for Blagojevich, in exchange for approval of a $220 million deal.

According to the indictment, Davis admitted to Rosenberg that Rezko, and Blagojevich's top fund raiser, Christopher Kelly, or Co-Schemer B, had asked Davis who could raise funds for Blagojevich from the state pension system and he volunteered Rosenberg's name.

During his testimony on April 1, 2008, Levine explained that he was already mad at Rosenberg because he expected $500,000 for help he gave Rosenberg in getting the TRS board to approve a $100 million deal in 2001, but he never came through with the money.

The only benefit Levine received from the deal was that Rosenberg said Levine no longer had to pay him $50,000 a year for lobbying efforts, according to the monitoring by Gavel-to-Gavel.

However, all hell broke lose when Rosenberg refused pay the $1.5 million. During the trial, prosecutors played tapes of phone calls in which comical conversations were discussed between the bipartisan group of Co-Schemers and Individuals, as they were trying to figure out how to deal with Rosenberg and his threats.

The jury heard conversations between Republican power broker, William Cellini, or Co-Schemer A, and Levine, in which they said Rosenberg was threatening to "stand at State and Madison," and make public the attempt to extort money for Blagojevich's campaign and that he would "take them all down," and even threatened to go to the Feds.

They claimed Rosenberg said he considered Rezko and Christopher Kelly the two most likely members of Blagojevich's inner circle to end up in prison someday, according to Gavel-to-Gavel. Kelly has been charged in a separate case with hiding $1.3 million from the IRS and using money from his business to pay gambling debts with Chicago bookies and Las Vegas casinos.
Levine testified that Rezko wanted things to settle down and quoted Rezko saying, "Mr. Rosenberg was a dangerous individual, and nobody wanted to be put in a dangerous situation."

Levine said Rezko told him that TRS should grant Capri the $220 million. "But, in fact, that should be the last business that Mr. Rosenberg does with the State of Illinois," Levine recalled Rezko telling him, according to Gavel-to-Gavel. Levine testified that Rezko said Blagojevich had been briefed on the plan and agreed with it.
During his testimony, Levine also told the jury that Rezko had plans for Blagojevich to run for President. "He said that he had raised a great deal of money for Gov. Blagojevich and that he had great hopes and expectations that Gov. Blagojevich would run for president," Levine told the jury.

"And although he knew it was a long shot, he was working toward that end," Levine said.

He also told the jury about an October 29, 2003, trip in a plane he chartered to carry Blagojevich and others to fundraisers in New York, during which Levine thanked Blagojevich for reappointing him to the Planning board and said the governor told him, "Never discuss any state board with me, discuss them with either Tony Rezko or Chris Kelly."

The TRS part of the story has many subplots. For instance, in 2005, the Feds issued a subpoena to the TRS for records pertaining to a $150 million deal approved for the Carlyle Group, in which Robert Kjellander, or Individual K, described in the August 11, 2005 Sun-Times as the "national Republican Party treasurer," and "a Springfield lobbyist with close ties to the White House," was to be paid a $4.5 million fee.

ELECTION 2008 COMMENT



The scenario above is now even more realistic as the complacent and
apathetic voters have made their ill-conceived choice in this last
election. Putting national security aside, they instead chose the
Marxist candidate….the one who promised them the most from the
treasury coffers. So much for campaign finance reform. With support
from; a left-wing biased Bush/Cheney hating mainstream media, money
and ads from moveon.org, fraudulent voter registrations by ACORN,
Black Panthers intimidating voters in Philadelphia [and making
statements like "a black man is going to win no matter what"], and
illegal campaign donations (foreign and domestic), the free market
system and experienced national security candidate never had a
chance. Never in the history of U.S. elections, has such an extreme
liberal, un-vetted, and secretive candidate been elected. It will
become America's loss. The middle class bought the Marxist
candidates' mantra “I am going to save the middle class” sales
pitch, hook, line, and sinker. In short, they were duped. When in
actuality, Barack Hussein Obama will destroy the middle class by
creating a welfare dependent class and making them a ward of the
state ….he will then own their vote. The Democrats will move
quickly to pass and enact laws (i.e., the Fairness Doctrine, more
power and money to ACORN, liberal campaign finance laws, etc.) to
ensure they never lose power through future elections. The future
will be a move towards a European style socialist system, where our
standard of living and productivity will decline, our mighty military
will become smaller and less equipped, and our taxes (all taxes) will
go up. We will be forced into smaller cars, smaller homes, and
smaller families. We will lose many freedoms, such as the right to
own a firearm, the right to vote for a union via a secret ballot
[instead the union thugs will tell you how to vote], et al. The gap
between the rich elitists and the middle-class/poor will widen and
there by creating the United Socialist States of America USSA.