Free Republic

For those of you who still cling to the fantasy that Barack Obama is "about change," you should note how he, or his minions, want nothing to do with reforming politics in Illinois, perhaps the most corrupt state in the Union. "Throughout his political career, Barack Obama has fought for open and honest government," proclaims his campaign Web site. Apparently, no longer. When the Democratic presidential candidate—now his party's industrial-strength voice for our deliverance from political corruption everywhere—was asked by a reformer if he would help get his political mentor back home to get off the dime and move the...

Antoin "Tony" Rezko traveled in the entourage of boxing great Muhammad Ali, gave confidential advice to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and criss-crossed the globe to craft multimillion-dollar business deals. But the business magnate's rise from Syrian immigrant to clout-rich Chicago millionaire was fueled in large part by a humble product: the pizza pie. Two indictments unsealed Wednesday suggest Rezko's life was on two tracks--even as he ascended in influence in state government, his pizza businesses were spiraling into financial trouble, the government alleges. Rezko, who is traveling abroad, has not formally responded to the charges and could not be reached for...

Today in San Antonio, MSNBC describes a surprisingly contentious Barack Obama news conference that focused on Tony Rezko and the Canadian government: “Led by the Chicago press corps that has covered Obama for years, the candidate today faced a barrage of questions in what turned out to be a contentious news conference.Questions centered on why his campaign had denied that a meeting occurred between his chief economic advisor and Canadian officials as well as questions on his relationship with Tony Rezko, a Chicago land developer and fast food magnate, now on trial for corruption charges.” Obama cut off questions from...

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama Monday warned of an erosion in business ethics, which he said offended US morals and endangered the might of US financial markets. In a major speech on economic policy, the Illinois Senator condemned the Bush administration's "massive tax cuts" and called for more transparency in the housing market, following the subprime mortgage crisis. "In recent years, we have seen a dangerous erosion of the rules and principles that have allowed our market to work and our economy to thrive," Obama said in a speech at the NASDAQ market site. "Instead of thinking about what's good...