Did Obama lie about Rezko? --"I, uh... uh... only did about 5 hours work for him."

[1corona4u]

<snip>

If hanging around the likes of Blagojevich and Obama went to Rezko's head, as Mahru suggests, one reason might be that Rezko had befriended them before they became famous, forming bonds of loyalty from the start. The BGA's Stewart says, "I would give the guy credit for being shrewd. He would identify young up-and-comers early. Fine, Obama, he's the editor of the Harvard Law Review, but in Chicago politics, big deal, so what. But approached Obama. Rod Blagojevich, he's an unimportant state legislator. What distinguishes Rezko—he didn't just give money to established figures."

Rezko read a newspaper article about Obama's Law Review election and had a colleague get in touch; in 1990 Rezko offered Obama a job at Rezmar before he had graduated from Harvard Law School. Obama declined, joining a Chicago law firm instead. There he did what he has described as a minimal amount of legal work for Rezmar. Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell, author of the recently published Obama: From Promise to Power, says, "Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama at his North Shore house, and that fundraiser was instrumental in providing Obama with seed money" for his U.S. Senate race in 2004.

In our conversation, Rezko was reluctant to discuss his association with Obama, except to stress that he has had no formal role in Obama's campaigns. He would not comment on Obama's real-estate deals.





http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/November-2007/Mr-Inside-Out/index.php?cp=1&si=0#artanc

[Barack_America]

1. The Chicago media agrees with him...

After having completely vetted this issue.

[1corona4u]

2. You didn't read the article...

shame on you....

[Barack_America]

20. I did read the article. For one, I choose to believe newspapers over magazines..

Also, what else was there in the article about Obama? You posted everything except for Michelle's fashion show.

[1corona4u]

23. Why would you believe a newspaper over a magazine?

Magazines are usually around a lot longer...as opposed to papers which end up on the bottom of cat litter boxes, and bird cages everywhere...

[Barack_America]

24. Newspapers have a better history of digging down to the truth...

Magazines are not held to the same level of reporting.

You are asking which is more influential. That is a different question.

[1corona4u]

27. I don't think she has a particular 'eye' for fashion....

maybe it's just me... but I think, but I think she's going to have to get some adivce, and tone it down a bit, if she becomes first lady;

[Barack_America]

48. Wow. She looks stunning there. Thanks. n/t

[1corona4u]

57. I think she looks....tacky.

[neutron]

54. Every first lady has to dress like Barbara Bush?

I agree. She looks fantastic.
A dynamic first lady would be great consolation if the
guy I'm not fond of wins the nomation.

[rodeodance]

4. Obama lays himself open to critiques when he is not open or when he does not "come

clean" as the chicago trib puts it (in their endorsement article for Obama)

[Bitwit1234]

3. Raw Story has an interesting article about the other candidate.

In these associations with rezko, obama is connected to an Iraq billionaire, who had financial dealings with Saddam. This guy came over here, and made deals with the governor of Illinois, rezko and thru them he associated with the other candidate.

After ABC News published the information the who website has been taken down and the information about the association was taken out of the other sites.

This has surely been around for a heck of a long time. And it wasn't reported. A picture of Hillary Clinton, innocently taken with someone she didn't even know at a fund raiser for another politican made the rounds for weeks and had slime and filth spewed at her from his supporters.

This is crookedness at it's worst. And if this is out there what else could be found if someone took the time to look. I THINK SINCE PIDDLE PADDLE is being reported about Hillary to make her look bad it is the duty of the MSM to give the information of real crooked dealings.

[1corona4u]

7. I know...

I saved the cached page of that site. Just for posterity. ;-)

[ccpup]

10. duty is not a word often used with our Media

it's all about spin, spin, spin and then once they take Hillary down -- which they won't -- they'll get the knives out for Barack, leaving us Democrats with a shattered Party, a mortally wounded, over-sensitive Nominee (if it is Barack, which it won't be) and another Republican President.

[Thrill]

5. No one cares about this

But maybe Clinton Supporters.

[1corona4u]

6. I'm not a Clinton supporter, and I care....

but then again, I care about the truth...and facts.

[RaleighNCDUer]

19. McCain supporter, then? nt

[1corona4u]

21. No, I'm not sure I'm voting.....

I did vote in the primary, for my candidate Joe Biden.

[Qutzupalotl]

37. corona's been trashing Obama from day 1.

"What's he famous for?" et cetera.

[flyarm]

35. speak for yourself..i damn well care..and so will the fing repigs..go away if you don't

care to know if our people are crooks or not..you have no business voting if you don't care to know the background of people seeking a seat in our government..you are too careless to vote ..and since you have now proven you are too immature to vote..please don't!

fly

[emilyg]

44. We care.

[ccpup]

8. no, and he also didn't lie about receiving only "$50,000 to $60,000"

in campaign money from Rezko -- even though it was proven to be $200,000.

In Obamaland, he's perfect and doesn't lie.

[MADem]

9. They have an eighteen year friendship. He may have only done five hours of work on THAT matter, but

I suspect they're entwined in many ways over the years. If someone could find some of Obama's correspondence, they might be able to figure out what those ways are.

Rezko WAS very shrewd. He viewed himself as a Kingmaker, certainly, and he liked being close to power.

This article is fascinating, not just for Rezko, but for the 'big picture' in Sweet Home Chicago:

Hanania criticizes Arab American business leaders as "a small cluster of activists, and they are all in trouble. They had a push for clout empowerment, not community empowerment—you know, a hunger for being part of the system, sharing the perks among the insiders. When you connect all the names and lines, it's going to look like a spider web."

.....Fitzgerald's strategy in pressing public corruption cases here has been obvious. He indicts underlings and squeezes them to "flip"—provide evidence against higher-ups in exchange for leniency. In this way, the Operation Safe Road investigation moved up the ladder from clerks in the secretary of state's vehicle services division all the way to former governor George Ryan, convicted last year on corruption charges.

When Levine cut a deal to swap a possible life sentence for just 67 months, political and legal observers speculated that he must have promised federal agents a lot of goods against higher-ups. For years now, observers have wondered whether Fitzgerald's ultimate target is Blagojevich.

The governor has not been charged with any crime and has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He told the State Journal-Register in Springfield that the Rezko scandal "will never touch " because he never took part in any discussion about such a "ridiculous and blatantly illegal scheme." Blagojevich said he sought Rezko's "advice on recommendations for agency directors for two reasons. Number one, I had every reason to think he was honest and independently successful in business and that he was able to bring us people who were not part of state government before. And he has connections and roots in the African American community, and he could help us with candidates . . . because part of what we wanted to do was to have a diverse administration."

Blagojevich may be running away from Rezko, but Rezko remains one of the governor's strongest defenders, saying that in his first term he balanced the budget, reduced the state work force without cutting services, and boosted spending for education and children's health care. "What else do you want a governor to do?" Rezko says. "He doesn't always get along with the legislative branches, but is that bad governing? I don't know."

Asked whether he is considering cooperating with the government and testifying against others as part of a plea bargain, Rezko laughs loud and long. "Hell, no," he says. "Tell them I'll see them in court on February 25th."

[rodeodance]

11. Sunday obama said he not comment on this issue any more. Bet his lawyers

told him shush. just saying

[ccpup]

14. especially with the trial starting Feb 25th

I wonder if Barack will be called as a witness due to the money he received from Rezko in fund raising?

[rodeodance]

15. time will tell.

[1corona4u]

25. Oh, good to know when the trial starts....

I'll be paying attention...

[Little Star]

42. Sounds just like all the press secretaries when they were trying to

cover up about Plame-Gate. If he is guilty of nothing and not going to be charged for any wrong doing, why the no comment? He is a presidential candidate and we the people deserve answers! What we are just suppose to have blind faith like Evangelicals?

This no comment stuff from a Dem Candidate stinks to high heaven!

What could possibly be the reason for him to make no comment?

He is not named in the indictment of Rezko right?

[redqueen]

45. Oh yeah, great plan...

save it for after the convention...

[ccpup]

12. correspondence?

oh, like the letters State Senator Barack Obama said he never wrote to help his friend Rezko get a multi-million dollar City Contract to build low-income housing in his District -- which fell into ruin only five years later -- despite the fact he had z-e-r-o construction experience?

That kind of correspondence?

[MADem]

16. Yes--he says he didn't save ANYTHING. I find that...incredible. IL should

pass some laws that all correspondence has to be serialized and a copy forwarded to an archive for permanent storage. It really fucks the people of the state to do anything else.

[ccpup]

18. well, the poor boy loses a paper if it isn't handed to him right

before he needs it.

I mean, he can't be expected to know where ALL those important papers, letters, contracts, what-have-you in relation to Rezko are now, right? :eyes:

[1corona4u]

26. Yeah, and Obama didn't save his schedules from when he was

in the Illinois state senate either...or so he told Tim Russert on MTP...Tim found that hard to believe too....


Here it is;

MR. RUSSERT: You talked about Senator Clinton having records released from the Clinton Library regarding her experience as first lady, and yet when you were asked about, “What about eight years in the state senate of Illinois,” you said, “I don’t know.” Where, where are the—where are your records?

SEN. OBAMA: Tim, we did not keep those records. I...

MR. RUSSERT: Are they gone?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, let’s be clear. In the state senate, every single piece of information, every document related to state government was kept by the state of Illinois and has been disclosed and is available and has been gone through with a fine-toothed comb by news outlets in Illinois. The, the stuff that I did not keep has to do with, for example, my schedule. I didn’t have a schedule. I was a state senator. I wasn’t intending to have the Barack Obama State Senate Library. I didn’t have 50 or 500 people to, to help me archive these issues. So...

MR. RUSSERT: But your meetings with lobbyists and so forth, there’s no record of that?

SEN. OBAMA: I did not have a scheduler, but, as I said, every document related to my interactions with government is available right now. And, as I said, news outlets have already looked at them.

MR. RUSSERT: Is your schedule available anywhere? Are—the records exist?

SEN. OBAMA: I—Tim, I kept my own schedule. I didn’t have a scheduler.

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Durbin, your colleague, publishes his schedule each day. Would you do that?

SEN. OBAMA: Well, you know, these days I have a public presidential schedule that I think everybody has access to.

MR. RUSSERT: Tony Rezko, who is he?

SEN. OBAMA: He is a developer in Illinois. He was a friend of mine for, for over 10 years. He was, he was a supporter of Democrats and Republicans back in Illinois. He was indicted recently for issues completely unrelated to me, but obviously it’s a source of concern because he’s not only a friend but also a supporter of my campaign.

MR. RUSSERT: It appears that he raised or contributed about $168,000 for you over the course of your career...

SEN. OBAMA: Over the course of my political career. Correct.

MR. RUSSERT: ...and that he was always there to be very helpful to you at certain times. And when you bought property adjacent to each other, you bought land from him to expand your backyard.

SEN. OBAMA: Correct.

MR. RUSSERT: This was all after he had been—it had been reported he was under federal investigation.

SEN. OBAMA: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: Why were you associating with such a person?


(more at link)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21738432/page/4/

[guruoo]

31. The state is responsible for archiving those documents n/t

[1corona4u]

32. Doesn't matter....he didn't submit them, if they existed at all...

read the transcript. Read it until you understand what he said..

[guruoo]

47. Beginning to sound like a fishing expedition...

not unlike the ones being conducted against Hillary, et. al.

[1corona4u]

53. Actually, it's a fact finding mission....

[guruoo]

49. Ahh, not exactly....

"In the state senate, every single piece of information, every document
related to state government was kept by the state of Illinois and has
been disclosed and is available and has been gone through with a
fine-toothed comb by news outlets in Illinois."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21738432/page/4

[Tatiana]

13. Quite honestly, I don't care. This is a non-issue for me.

As much as they try to make this a campaign issue, no one in Chicago seems to care, so I think the corporate media has decided to try to take things national.

There are more important issues to discuss and focus on, IMO.

[Justice Is Comin]

17. You have a 300,000 knock off savings

on a real estate deal for your own personal pad because of a man who was your campaign chairman and now this individual is facing federal prison for dirty money, and you don't care?

I see. La la la la la.

[Tatiana]

22. The fact is, none of our Big Two are superior to one another ethically.

This is all "Gotcha!" Tim Russert-style crap.

Let's pass some tough legislation that bans politicians for this behavior. Don't think Congress will pass such bills? (They haven't-Feingold tries to introduce such bills every year.) Maybe it's because they ALL engage in similar behavior. I'm not in favor of singling one person out over another. If we're not going to go after all of them, then I'm not going to bitch about one. And that includes Clinton.

[1corona4u]

28. Well, according to his statement to Tim,

He calls Rezko a friend for 10 years, but later said what I posted in the OP...so he is lying.

Chicago/Illinois is not the be-all to end-all...there are 49 other states. Other people care. Chicago, and the entire state of Illinois is just protecting their 'baby'.

[flyarm]

39. well i sure as fuck care..we have been living with crooks for 8 years now..

in fact this set of crooks were in charge when my co-workers were killed on 9/11 and two of my neighbors sons were killed on 9/11..so just go take your..i don't care somewhere where people don't fucking die..

this Rezko has ties to the Mob..so do people in this present administration..and if my memory serves me so did JFK..and we know what happened to him!

stop being like a Little lord pissy pants sheeple..you people are making me sick..and don;t ever in front of me say you give one fat fucking rats ass about this country when you don't care if one of our own candidates is a damn crook or tied to the mob..wow you make me puke!

fly

[backscatter712]

29. Lawyers represent criminals all the time. How is this case any different?

Last time I checked, it was perfectly legal for lawyers to represent people accused, and even convicted and obviously guilty of crimes.

If any of you has a specific crime Obama himself is guilty of, then make your accusations, and present your evidence, HERE, NOW!!!

Otherwise, you're just smearing him using guilt by association, in which case, I ask you to SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

[1corona4u]

34. He lied..plain and simple...

he can't keep his stories straight. And I will not 'shut the fuck up'.

[backscatter712]

46. Prove it.

Exact quotes, and facts that contradict the quotes.

[1corona4u]

52. Uhm, I just did. They're in this very thread...

[Horse with no Name]

30. Actually he parsed it even further if you look at the transcript of the last debate

He said he only did 5 hours worth of PAID work.

[1corona4u]

36. Ohh...good catch....

he is so good at parsing...

[flyarm]

40. so is little lord pissy pants admin..see any thing familiar???????? eom

[flyarm]

33. and at the 2004 convention when no one knew who Obama was till he stepped on the stage..

Obama had the most expensive party at the convention..something i have questioned ever since i walked into that club that night..how does a young wanna be Senator get a party thrown at the convention and not only a good party but one of the most expensive patries at the convention and one of the only Free parties for those attending..free drinks for thousands!

and Three giant floors of dancing and drinks..

we are not talking a corporate run repig convention but a dem convention where everyone pays for everything they eat and drink.

except at Obama's party..

some feat for a guy who was running for his first senate seat..

most candidates i know running the first time are broke..and can't give a cup cake party.

fly

[Horse with no Name]

38. From the start, Obama has been groomed to be the candidate

His speech was said to be "Presidential"...he strode into Washington as the inevitable candidate for President without really doing anything to earn the status of Presidential.
It goes along with the grand gala he had--he has some powerful benefactors with deep pockets.
He speaks the language of Ronald Reagan and wanting to reach across the aisle to befriend republicans.
It's almost Manchurian.

[flyarm]

43. funny you say that..a lawyer i met in Iowa for the caucus's..said Obama speaks like Reagan

the cadance is almost exact..i never thought about it..but..then i paid attention..and he does..exactly like Reagan..

and then he says glowing stuff about Reagan..

i think back to MKULTRA..and the reagan years...and my skin crawls..

fly

[MagsDem]

41. Yes n/t

[suston96]

50. What do Federal contribution records say about Rezco? Illinois election records? nt

[REDFISHBLUEFISH]

51. Yes Obama lied outright in that debate, Rezco helped him get a house.

Obama FLAT out lied, no doubt about it, SO MUCH FOR CHANGE!
His campaign is based on a lie, he is no different.

[flyarm]

55. oBAMA IS A FUCKING LIAR AND A CHEATER.. wake up america!!..eom

[flyarm]

56. dupe

[REDFISHBLUEFISH]

58. Why are we dupes because we hold Obama to his words? HE LIED!

[Alexander]

59. Patrick Fitzgerald says Obama's right. Obama has "not been accused of wrongdoing"...

Except of course by Shillbot smear warriors such as yourself.

[REDFISHBLUEFISH]

60. HE STILL OUTRIGHT LIED ABOUT REZKO connection TWICE!

He stated in the begining that he did not even know that Rezko was involved in the house deal, CHANGED his story when the story preogressed, Then he lied on the DEBATE floor saying his work with Rezko was limited to 5 hours.

He lied twice, If he is so Ivory soap clean, WHY THE LIES?