Obama serves Reid taste of Chicago Way (John Kass)

Chicago Tribune ^ | 1-8-09 | John Kass

[STARWISE]

So the Chicago Way hauled off and slapped the U.S. Senate in the face—one of those backhands with the knuckles to unsuspecting lips—and guess who blinked?

It wasn't Chicago.

It was the Senate.

Get used to it, America. And it won't be the last time either.

Roland "Tombstone" Burris, the amiable Illinois Democratic political hack who is being called eminently qualified by the national Democrats—perhaps because he's from Illinois and he hasn't been indicted—has almost reached his goal of being addressed as "Yes, sir, Senator."

Now Tombstone has President-elect Barack Obama behind him, muscling Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid in a phone call earlier in the week. So much for transcending the old politics.

[STARWISE]

I knew the dear leader would lay down the fix ...got just too uncomfortable for him.

[STARWISE]

“According a story in the Tribune by Rick Pearson and Mike Dorning, Obama didn’t want the Chicago Way on parade in Washington, less than two weeks before his inauguration, when he formally becomes the agent of the change we can believe in.”

[ExTexasRedhead]

Behold a nest of rattlesnakes eating each other.

[smoothsailing]

There's a delicious irony to Reid getting kneecapped by the One.

[STARWISE]

~~~PING!

[ajay_kumar]

I spent 37 years in Chicago/burbs and Roland Burris is one of the few politicians from Chicago area who has not been caught in corruption.

[STARWISE]

I love the way you phrased that .... ;)

[doug from upland]

[arrogantsob]

He is as dynamic as a bowl of pablum and insightful as tree moss.

[Jeff Gordon]

Ann Coulter could have edited this article. It had a touch of her humor in it.

[advance_copy]

Funny how the media is starting to spin it as though Obama supported Burris all along. Yet on December 30, Obama released this statement calling the Burris appointment "disappointing" and explicitly agreeing with Harry Reid that Burris should not be seated.

[STARWISE]

Yeah, I know. Total forked tongue, as Dims typically adopt when the heat just gets too hot. Just words, right?

Upstanding guy, that Obama .... ;)

[hoosiermama]

Roland Burris was receiving $5,000/ from Capital Loop.

Capital Loop is run by BO’s friend Jim Reynolds and BO’s BIL Craig Robinson

Capitol Loop is involved with the corruption investigation in Philadelphia’s Mayor Street.

For Chicago Crime information go to:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2151323/posts?q=1&;page=216

[Arizona Carolyn]

I’ve seen this guy on Fox, no fan of the one. I believe he is one of the people Blago was trying to force the Trib to fire.

[nothingnew]

This read like Danny Devito (the Tattler?) in LA Confidential...strictly "hush hush"...

FMCDH(BITS)

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Ann Coulter could have edited this article. It had a touch of her humor in it.

(grin!) John Kass is a much, much better writer than Ann Coulter.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> I’ve seen this guy on Fox, no fan of the one. I believe he is one of the people Blago was trying to force the Trib to fire.

I could believe that. If you search back thru his columns you can easily see why.

I’ve corresponded on-and-off with John Kass for just over a decade now. He’s a fantastic columnist with an almost-encyclopedic knowledge of crime in Chicago and all the political skulduggery that happens in Chicago and Illinois State politics.

And his occasional humor columns are hilarious!

[mojitojoe]

That’s great~! I really enjoyed reading that and laughing at ole reid and barry. If this wasn’t so dangerous for America it would be funnier.

[STARWISE]

Yep .. done deal — What Obama forgot to mention is that he ordered the Tombstone issue settled because it became his problem. So he told Reid to cave.

[Lumper20]

Funny, as ancestry.com shows Reid’s great great uncle was a horse thief. He was hung in Montana around mid -late 1860.