"Links To Obama's Past And Future"

 Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a Chicago real estate developer and one-time fundraiser for U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama and other politicians, was found guilty on Wednesday of fraud, attempted bribery and money laundering.

The verdict came the day after Obama claimed the Democratic party nomination for president. The Republican party immediately took note, issuing a statement calling Rezko Obama's "money man" and "long-time friend."

A federal jury convicted Rezko of 16 of the 24 counts against him for using his influence over two Illinois government boards to extort millions of dollars in bribes and campaign donations.

Obama's name came up only peripherally during the two-month trial as a recipient of campaign donations generated by Rezko for his U.S. Senate race in 2004.

The Syrian-born property developer and restaurant entrepreneur had a close friendship with Obama and the ties with Rezko, 52, created some sparks in the Democratic primary contest. Rezko's role could resurface in the November contest against Republican Sen. John McCain. If Obama wins the election, he would become the first black U.S. president.

Critics said Obama's relationship with Chicago powerbrokers, including Rezko, and his ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his fiery and controversial former Chicago pastor, raised questions about his judgment and his credibility at a time when he is touting a new approach to politics free from influence.

Obama quit the church, Trinity United Church of Christ, after 16 years of membership in the aftermath of another inflammatory sermon delivered by a visiting priest and Obama supporter who mocked Clinton.

Rezko was found guilty of 12 counts of mail and wire fraud, two of attempted bribery and two of money laundering. The jury found him not guilty of three counts of wire fraud, one of attempted extortion and four of attempted bribery.

Prosecutors focused on Rezko's corrupting influence in the administration of Illinois' Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, eliciting testimony that Rezko demanded campaign contributions and bribes in exchange for jobs or state contracts. The defense presented no witnesses.

Some of those suspect campaign contributions went for Obama's senate run and his presidential campaign has given away some $250,000 in donations it can trace to Rezko.

In March, Obama sought to clear the air and answer critics that he was not being forthcoming about Rezko by agreeing to answer all questions from Chicago newspaper reporters.

The interviews revealed a close relationship where the two discussed strategy daily and socialized with their families. Obama told the Sun-Times he was "saddened" by Rezko's legal troubles and would be "disappointed" if he was convicted.

Obama said he did some legal work for Rezko's real estate partners in the 1990s, but he regretted his dealings with Rezko after becoming aware of the government's investigation.

Obama also has said he had been "boneheaded" in allowing Rezko into the transaction for his family's 2005 house purchase, paid for with proceeds from his two best-selling books.

On the same day as the Obamas bought a Georgian-style mansion for $1.65 million, which represented no profit to the sellers, Rezko's family bought an adjacent lot for $625,000 at a profit to the same owners. Obama later paid $104,000 for a sliver of Rezko's lot to provide a privacy buffer.

Obama said Rezko had never asked him for any political favors, nor did he grant him any.

One witness said Senate candidate Obama attended Rezko's 2004 party for Iraqi-born billionaire Nadhmi Auchi, who has been convicted of fraud charges in Europe. Obama's campaign has said he does not remember attending or meeting Auchi.

Barack Obama turned in earnest to the general election and the hunt for a running mate Wednesday, embraced by Democratic leaders who signaled forcefully and sometimes impatiently to Hillary Rodham Clinton that her marathon duel with Obama was over. Clinton kept her silence in public, while supporters made a case for her as Obama's No. 2.

Obama himself moved to link himself more closely with a young Democratic hero of a half-century ago, picking President Kennedy's daughter Caroline to help him choose a vice president.

Obama began focusing on who will join his ticket in the fall. His campaign said the vetting of potential running mates was to be managed by a three-person team of Caroline Kennedy, former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder and longtime Washington insider Jim Johnson.

The Obama camp's disclosure about the three-person veep vetting team was an effort to change the subject from the long, divisive primary campaign toward the general election.

Kennedy's name came as a surprise, although she endorsed Obama at a critical time last winter, saying he could be an inspirational leader like her father. She also campaigned for Obama.

Holder is a former federal prosecutor and District of Columbia Superior Court judge who held the No. 2 job at the Justice Department under President Clinton.

Johnson is widely known among Democrats for having helped previous candidates, including John Kerry four years ago, sift through vice presidential possibilities. He is a former chief executive officer for the mortgage lender Fannie Mae.

     It is ironic that links to presumptive Democrat nominee Barack Obama's past and future are highlighted simultaneously with his sealing of the Democrat nomination for President in '08. An old crony from his sleazy "Chicago politics" past, Tony Rezko,  has been convicted of mail and wire fraud, bribery and money laundering while Obama elects surrogates from the  Liberal old Guard "Washington insiders" circle of Edward Kennedy and John Kerry to head his Vice President search committee. (What in the world qualifies Carolyn Kennedy to be on Obama's VP search committee other than being a surrogate for Senator Edward Kennedy?) Let us hope that Barack Obama, should he be elected President, will be able to break free from the "Chicago politics" and "Washington insiders" that have propelled him to the Highest Office in the land, for only then can he really represent "change we can believe", as I see it.

tags: barack obama  2008  politics  president  obama  democrats  takebackamerica  america  us  tony rezko  power  

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