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The Daily Muck
Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) ties with indicted Chicago developer Antoin Rezko are back in the news after Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) brought them up in last Monday's Democratic presidential debate. Obama has "been accused of no wrongdoing" in the case against Rezko - who is scheduled to begin trial next month - but his relationship with the businessman dates back to before the beginning of his political career in the early 1990s. (Chicago Tribune)
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt (R-MO) announced yesterday that he will not be seeking re-election. In a statement Blunt, whose administration has been caught up in scandal, said that he was retiring "with the knowledge that we have achieved virtually everything I set out to accomplish." (Kansas City Star)
Representative William Jefferson (D-LA) recently appeared in court papers of a diamond executive in Botswana because he accepted four funded trips there beginning in 2001. Jefferson violated House ethics rules because he failed to report three of the trips which were designed convince Jefferson to oppose bans on "blood diamonds." In 2001, Jefferson had co-sponsored the "Clean Diamonds Act" but he withdrew his support just before taking his first trip to Botswana. (The Hill)
Senator Stevens (R-AK) loves his pork so much that last year he attempted to get fellow Republican Senator DeMint (R-SC) removed as leader of the conservative Steering Committee. Stevens became infuriated when DeMint urged the GOP to reduce earmarks. DeMint acknowledges that his stance on earmarks has "made a lot of enemies" but he asserts that "some of these folks have the responsibility to show what it means to be a Republican." (The Hill)
Two Afghan men testified yesterday - via video link - that last March a Marine convoy opened fire and killed 19 Afghans without provocation. Though the Marine convoy had been attacked by a van laden with explosives just moments before, when the Marines opened fire, witnesses say that nobody was firing at the convoy and Aghans had pulled their cars to the side of the road. After the shootings, a U.S. Army colonel apologized to Afghans by stating that the killing and wounding of "innocent Afghans at the hands of Americans is a stain on our honor." (LA Times)
Although global warming has become a major political issue in recent years, none of the presidential debates hosted by CNN and sponsored by the coal industry group Americans for Balanced Energy Choices have included questions about the issue. (Think Progress)
Jury selection has begun in a second trial of the men accused of plotting to blow up Sears Tower. The first trial resulted in the acquittal of one of the accused and a hung jury for the other six men, all of whom are now being retried. (USA Today)
Comments (7)
Zebracat wrote on January 23, 2008 10:43 AM:Hillary, remember Whitewater? Stones and glass houses love. Stones and glass houses.
3G wrote on January 23, 2008 12:47 PM:Like many I have been on the fence as to who is the better candidate versus who is the more electable. What is more important?
Parallel to this, I've been wondering if it is better that Hillary is the attack dog, getting all of Obama's percieved faults out in the open now, or not.
Concerning Hillarys attacks, my thoughts are that getting the issues out now allow Obama to explain them with minimal Republican attack ferocity. Hillary is relentless in her attacks, but she is still in the minor leagues compared to the R machine. Second, getting the issues out to the vast majority of the independents now will soften the blow of the R attacks that are sure to rehash the same stuff for the general. And provided that Obama is able to defend himself effectively with Hillary, and the population of independents hears it, they will be far more inclined to roll there eyes when they re-hear it again from the R's. Sort of like, yeah that's yesterday's news, so what.
I feel that Hillary, although very good in her attacks, exposed a fatal weakness in her candidacy with the R's and that is she has provided them proof that Bill is back. And that will rally them against her (and some independents too).
My thoughts have converged to where I know percieve her strength as:
She would make a terrific VP to Obama's unity message. Counterattacking the R's in the General head-on.
Obama doing what he is better at, rising above the fray, calling for unity, as the Presidential candidate.
Mary wrote on January 23, 2008 12:58 PM:Low blows. Whos record supports the facts
Obama's name has not come up in connection with any of the corruption charges swirling around Rezko. In fact, prosecutors indicate that the source of Rezko's clout was somewhere within Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration.
"My relationship is he was somebody who I knew and had been a supporter for many years, he was somebody who had supported a wide range of candidates all throughout Illinois," the Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with CBS' "Early Show." "Nobody had an inkling that he was involved in any problems. When those problems were discovered, we returned money from him that had been contributed."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/mochila.php?articleId=12034470&channelId=76&buyerId=talkingpointsmemo_com400732&buid=866
mac2151 wrote on January 23, 2008 1:07 PM:Though she was passionate about issues like gender and sustainability, Mrs. Clinton largely sat on the sidelines when it came to Wal-Mart and unions, according to board members. Since its founding in 1962, Wal-Mart has aggressively fought unionization efforts at its stores and warehouses, employing hard-nosed tactics — like firing union supporters and allegedly spying on employees — that have become the subject of legal complaints against the company.
During their meetings and private conversations, Mrs. Clinton never voiced objections to Wal-Mart’s stance on unions, according to Mr. Tate and John A. Cooper, another board member.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/us/politics/19cnd-walmart.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&hp&oref=slogin
Not a Hillary fan, but I've been wondering about Obama too.
As far as I'm concerned, the entire field, both Republican & Democrat, is just another bad batch of corrupt incompetents. Are any of them a real replacement for Nazi George, or, do we just continue to watch the goosesteppers drawing nearer as we're backed into a pit of abject poverty?
But, my Hillary question was - What's the connection, if any, between Obama's
chief fundraiser Juiliana Smoot; the former Chairman of the Wilkes era Tomahawk Corp, David Smoot; and, Kevin A Smoot of Eagle Global Logistics, that was involved with the KBR freight overcharging scam in Iraq?
Obama's Rezko, plus Abbruzzese/Bruno, connections would seem to put him in the same Republican/Democrat mafia camp as Bush.
Marty Didier - Northbrook, IL wrote on January 23, 2008 6:09 PM:The Clintons have an edge over Obama since the Rezko problem is certified by Federal indictments. However, the Clinton’s (and others) are standing on top of mountains of more serious problems that have been and are currently protected from surfacing. It’s sad for all of us since our Election process isn’t being allowed to display the needed honesty as it should and thus giving us “planned” outcomes rather than “The People’s Choice”. I don’t feel it’s necessary for me to offer details here since most of this has been in the news.
However the Rezko problem is personal to me since it involves my ex-wife’s family along with my second son. I have three children in the middle of this mess. And there are mountains more that link them to others all the way up the line. Since the news has been surfacing scandals and problems that I know includes the family, I’ve been desperately trying to encourage them to get out of this mess. This mess also includes many others including Clyde O’Connor’s family. Clyde was one of the pilots flying the Drug Jets carrying TON’S of cocaine that was busted in Mexico last year. Clyde’s family is linked by marriage to my ex-wife’s family and I’ve been desperately trying to get them out of this mess also.
Guess who also is involved in this mess? Believe me as Obama’s problem is nothing compared to someone else’s problem!
hardheaded liberal wrote on January 23, 2008 9:09 PM:Well, well, the trolls are busy today, aren't they.
G Davis wrote on January 23, 2008 9:30 PM:Marty, if Obama has serious skeletons please let me know before I vote for him.
I want all the scum out of my government. ALL of them.
Until something other than what's been hashed and rehashed in the Chicago papers comes out, I'll give Obama the benefit of the doubt.
The Clintons on the other hand probably should not be pointing fingers at what anyone did in the 90's...good god...
Clean up DC.
"We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate." Barack Obama
Vote hope, not fear. Vote unite, not divide and conquer.