if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803
It’s The Corruption, Stupid
Not that this will probably matter all that much to his hordes of devoted followers, but it could sure hurt him in the general election:
With the corruption trial of one of Sen. Barack Obama’s longtime friends and supporters set to begin Monday in Chicago, Ill., reform watchdogs say it will reveal the “cesspool” of Illinois politics in which Obama came of age and has said little about in his campaign for president.
“We have a sick political culture,” said Jay Stewart, the executive director of the Chicago Better Government Association, “and that’s the environment that Barack Obama came from.”
Stewart says he does not understand why Obama has lectured others about corruption in Washington and Kenya but “been noticeably silent on the issue of corruption here in his home state, including at this point, mostly Democratic politicians.”
There was no immediate comment from the Obama campaign.
The trial Monday involves federal charges of bribery and extortion against Tony Rezko, a real estate developer who became known in Illinois politics as a behind-the-scenes operator and fixer.
Will Obama be able to rise above it all? Charm and charisma can only go so far. On the other hand, JFK’s family had dealings with all sorts of shady characters, and it didn’t seem to affect his campaign much.
Comments
Maybe, but so far he’s been the proverbial Teflon Candidate. Of course, if he gets the nomination I’m sure he could find a few hundred thousand dead voters to make up for the rest who will be turned off by this stuff. Remember, Democratic voters don’t care how crooked you are, as long as you’re scamming and stealing for them.
In Illinois? Yeah, assuming Fallout Boy’s adventures with Radioactive Man (Governor Blagojevich) don’t run his ship aground. Governor Blagojevich and the Chicago Democrats have so thoroughly screwed over their reputation that there is serious talk in both parties of a Constitutional Convention.
Outside? Obama isn’t teflon, Hillary is just incompetent at campaigning. Let’s see how long he holds up once he’s actually facing down a rival party. If McCain is only half as bungling and absurd as Hillary has been, he wins.
Real estate deal with felon was “boneheaded” but ethical. (Oct 2007)
Well, WVR, this is official statement on the matter. I hope that clears it up…
Outside? Obama isn’t teflon, Hillary is just incompetent at campaigning. Let’s see how long he holds up once he’s actually facing down a rival party. If McCain is only half as bungling and absurd as Hillary has been, he wins.
Yeah, he’s really easy to poke at, and he’s about as intellectually vapid as one might imagine. I’ve been reading his politics and voting record, and he’s a national security threat IMHO.
He wants to talk directly to our enemies, he says he’s not a Muslim but the FACT that he is a Muslim will make him garner more respect in the niddle east.
He also would like to grant Muslims abroad habeus corpus. Lastly, he would openly display a timetable to retreat from Iraq, regardless of the danger it might present to our soldiers, etc.
Actually the guy is a fucking creep, but he says change. And hope.
On the other hand, JFK’s family had dealings with all sorts of shady characters, and it didn’t seem to affect his campaign much.
JFK’s campaign also had a slaveringly compliant press that suppressed anything negative about his family or said shady dealings. Given how openly hostile they were to Nixon, it’s astonishing that Tricky Dick managed to keep it as close as he did.
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"Rise above it?” He had one of the spearheads of the corruption touring his house. He’s one of them.