Tuesday, July 15, 2008 8:56 AM By: Ronald Kessler A close look at Barack Obama's career reveals it has been even more mediocre than generally recognized. Before being elected to the Illinois state Senate, Obama worked as a community organizer and a lawyer in Chicago. In his memoir, Obama says being a community organizer taught him how to motivate the powerless and work the government to help them. His chief example is an effort to remove asbestos from Altgeld Gardens, an all-black public housing project on Chicago’s South Side. But those who were involved in the effort say Obama played...