Barackwater

Slate ^ | December 14, 2006 | John Dickerson

[West Coast Conservative]

If Barack Obama decides to run for president, we're going to hear a lot more about Antoin "Tony" Rezko, the senator's neighbor.

Rezko is the kind of neighbor you want—the absent kind—and he might be absent for a long time—in the federal pen. That move upriver might keep Obama from his own residential upgrade to that big white house he's got his eye on in Washington.

OK, I'll stop. When you read the Chicago columnists having fun with the relationship between Obama and Rezko, the wiseacre rubs off on you. Here's the story, without the mustard: Barack Obama has a little real-estate scandal that raises questions about his judgment.

The Chicago Tribune broke the story back in November. It begins in 2004 with Obama's $1.9 million book advance for The Audacity of Hope. In June 2005, Obama used the money to purchase a $1.65 million Georgian revival home on Chicago's South Side—$300,000 less than the asking price. On the very same day, Rezko, a Democratic Party fund-raiser and developer, bought the adjacent empty lot at the asking price from the same owner (the house and the lot were previously owned by the same person). Rezko, who had raised money for Obama and known him since the senator attended Harvard Law School, did not develop the empty lot. In January 2006, he sold a 1,500-square-foot slice of it to Obama for $104,000, a fair sum in that market.

Here's the question: Did Rezko orchestrate his same-day purchase of the lot at full price so that the seller would give Obama a break on the price of the adjacent house? Was Obama in on the deal? And did Rezko never intend to develop the lot, giving Obama a nice roomy side yard, a favor which he'd call in later?

[onyx]

Barack Hussein Obama

[Jaysun]

Enough about this idiot. He's enjoying the Cindy Sheehan effect and we need to stop doing our part. If he wants to be our President he needs to tell us what in the hell he believes. There are plenty of "rock stars" out there. But we'd never elect them President for that fact alone.

[JennysCool]

Obama's constituency (clueless soccer moms who watch Oprah faithfully and think he's "cute") will have no problem with these real estate shenanigans.

[onyx]

You're right.

[SoCalPol]

Besides the realestate deal, the words advance for his book stood out.

Another person in congress, Newt, in an above board book deal was hounded out of congress.

Who died and made Barack Hussein Obama Sultan

[raftguide]

"he needs to tell us what in the hell he believes"

Politicians take polls and tell you what you want to hear from them. It has nothing to do with what he believes!

[onyx]

Are your papers and local TV stations full of this guy?

[Jaysun]

Politicians take polls and tell you what you want to hear from them. It has nothing to do with what he believes!

I know what he believes. And not all politicians are like Clinton in that they use polls to govern. The day that they are is the day that politicians are replaced by the media as those that govern. A very bad day indeed.

Barack Obama is the most dangerous man in America. He's a Communist who has enough since to not admit it. We do ourselves a disservice in underestimating him. And in using his Muslim ties to discredit him. We need to attack him at his rotten roots.

[SoCalPol]

are you ready for LT time Sun. evening?

[STARWISE]

OMG .. NON-stop ..... they just can't say his name enough. He does walk on water, ya know. It's disgusting.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

Don't kid yourself. This is nothing more than Hillary and company trying to derail him before he gets momentum. It is the only time you will get the truth about a liberal from the left wing press, when they are threatening their queen.

[nopardons]

bttt

[onyx]

Absolutely! LT, Phillip Rivers and our San Diego Chargers. WOO-HOO!

[onyx]

It's overkill. The guy has accomplished nothing aside from besting Alan Keyes for the senate seat....lol.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

I like a Freeper version, Baracketeer Obama.

Why? For one thing it is not totally a lie. There's some truth -- maybe a lot of truth.

(Thank goodness we once again have a free press, we have a good chance of finding the truth among the forest of MSM spikes.)

But most importantly MSM employees say it was simply a "bonehead" mistake. Now this guy says it's "a scandal too small" but it raises questions about his judgment. When has the MSM, et al. put "scandal too small" and Republican together in the same document?

I am a fair man and here's proof, Hollywood idle Clark Gable had big ears too.

you can't run for president . . . by lying and covering up.

How soon they forget Bill Clinton.

[soupcon]

Just my opinion-- but I do expect, at the very least, that Obama will frame the debate on the left and possibly on the right also.

[DB]

Selling 1500 sqft of the adjacent lot could make the value of that adjacent lot drop by a lot more than $100k that he sold it for. It depends on the size and topology of the lot.

[garylmoore]

There are plenty of "rock stars" out there. But we'd never elect them President for that fact alone.

Right on, I think that he has some nerve even thinking that he deserves to run our great country. Personally I am not worried about him, I don't even think that he will get the dumb vote, I mean even their eyes can't be that closed.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Just like to add to my comments above, I failed to credit Mr. Dickerson with what I thought was an excellent work. It seemed totally unbiased and his comments about Hillary! proved to me that he is not one of her toadies.

He's giving Senator Obama the benefit of doubt, as it should be, but he does not rule out trouble ahead for the Senator.