The damn Clintons are leaking dirt on Obama

[R.R.]

Where else could this trash be coming from?

Intern For Barack Obama Linked To Fundraiser

(AP) An intern in Sen. Barack Obama's office last year was recommended by an Illinois Democratic fundraiser later indicted for seeking kickbacks on government deals.

Obama has denied doing any favors for Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. The internship was one of 98 Illinois spots filled from a pool of 350 applicants.

John Aramanda, a 20-year-old student, served in Obama's Capitol Hill office from July 20 to Aug. 26, 2005, and was paid an $804 stipend, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs told the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times in reports published Sunday.

Gibbs said Rezko recommended the intern to Obama but contended that the internship did not contradict Obama's statements about not doing any favors for Rezko.

"I think that it's fairly obvious that a few-week internship is not anything of benefit to Mr. Rezko or any of his businesses," he said.

The intern's father, Joseph Aramanda, a businessman in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, once served as chief operating officer of a Rezko company and had a long-term business relationship with Rezko, according to court records and business filings.

The intern's father said there was no relationship between the internship and his business with Rezko.

Rezko has pleaded not guilty to charges he plotted to squeeze millions of dollars in kickbacks out of investment firms seeking state business. He also has pleaded not guilty to obtaining a $10.5 million loan from GE Capital through fraud and swindling a group of investors.

Rezko's wife bought a vacant lot next door to Obama on the same day last year that Obama and his wife, Michelle, closed on their home, according to published reports last fall. In January, Obama paid Rezko $104,500 for part of the lot to balance the space between his house and the fence.

Obama, who is weighing a run for president, has said the arrangements were ethical, but he also acknowledged he "misgauged" the implications suggested by his purchase of the additional land.

Messages left Tuesday by The Associated Press for Obama's representatives and Rezko's attorney, Joseph J. Duffy, were not immediately returned.

http://keyetv.com/national/topstories_story_360220749.html

[R.R.]

Obama and Clinton tied in N.H.
Posted by Mark Silva at 11:30 am CST

Talk about leveling the playing field: Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has pulled a statistical tie in a hypothetical contest with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York among likely Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire, traditional site of the first presidential primary elections.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Anyone who might run against Obama is suspect. I fail to see why a guy paying $105,000 for part of a city lot should be construed as any sort of corruption by any voter.

If he got the land for free, that might be corruption, but definitely not this.

[BT]

I beliieve the backstory is Obama could not purchase both parcels and the seller would only sell both parcels if they closed the same day. Looks like Rezko helped Obama out by buying the second parcel. And perhaps Obama helped Resko out by providing an internship to the son of a Rezko business associate. Even Obama admits thereal estate deal looks bad. And now this.

In Chicago there as as many influence peddlers as Pizza shops.

[yellow_crane]

Obama riding high all right.

Pretty soon, he'll have to demonstrate that he has as many cattle as he has boots.

The phenomenon of all this--granting Obama such favoritism, such unearned entitlement--simply translates into one single thought:  Americans are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and they are especially sick and tired of politicians, all politicians, period.

Obama is big because he seems outside the box.

Rhetoric is good, and is best reserved to gain the camera.

After that, either yeah or get off the pot.

Let us see how he does in the debates.  

There is more to Hell than hope.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Obama can be summed up for most voters by the recurring Monty Python segue:

"AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!"
Obama is not a typical anything, but he is obviously an American with a good deal of charisma. I can attest to this personally, as he came to speak at my university on behalf of Democratic candidates in the past election. No one was unimpressed, including me. The faculty and student body is more varied than you will find at any small university, with over 50 nationalities among the student body and almost as many on the faculty: Chinese, Taiwanese, Nigerian, Togolese, Congolese, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, Iranian, St Kittsian, Dutch Antillian, Haitian, Croatian, Korean, Indian, Pakistani, American, Canadian, Jamaican and more. Everyone really really liked Obama.

[domer]

He's my early choice, over Hillary, as the one to support for the Democratic nomination, at least before the first act is played. A politician maybe as talented as Bill Clinton with the personable touch, he impresses mostly as a very smart man who knows how to toss and turn every issue with an open mind before acting as the "decider."

[BT]

Since Bush is ineligible to run again Obama will have to capture the prize based on his own merits. I doubt ABB will resonate in '08.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I doubt ABB will resonate in '08.

==============================================
And yet, and yet, there is a smarter, slyer Bush lurking among the shrubbery, awaiting a stumble, a scandal, anything that would cause McCain and the rest of them to screw up. It might even be that Rove would like to stick with his favorite political dynasty.

[Plane]

Since Bush is ineligible to run again Obama will have to capture the prize based on his own merits. I doubt ABB will resonate in '08.

Does this depend on how close the canadate was to the Bush administration?

For example ,Condelezza Rice would be less free of Bush Baggage than John McCain.

Copnversely Senator Obama would have less Clinton Baggage than Senator Clinton.

[Plane]

I doubt ABB will resonate in '08.

==============================================
And yet, and yet, there is a smarter, slyer Bush lurking among the shrubbery, awaiting a stumble, a scandal, anything that would cause McCain and the rest of them to screw up. It might even be that Rove would like to stick with his favorite political dynasty.

I can see this as a possibility , although the responsibility is invested in one person the presidency is usually obtained by a close knit team and the office is run more by the Cabnet than the headman.


Do you think it is better to keep the team together or to break it up and trade a lot of members every other term?

[BT]

And yet, and yet, there is a smarter, slyer Bush lurking among the shrubbery, awaiting a stumble, a scandal, anything that would cause McCain and the rest of them to screw up. It might even be that Rove would like to stick with his favorite political dynasty.

Maybe in '12