The Fact-Checker, by Michael Dobbs

ONE Pinocchio? What part of Clinton's claim that she's won the popular vote is not a complete lie? Using Clinton logic -- counting Michigan -- she's beaten me, you and President Bush as well given that none of us were on the ballot.

Please, none of this wussy waffling. This claim of hers is a four Pinocchio lie.

Jayne - absolutely. This is ridiculous - her count doesn't include caucuses and includes the counts of elections that wouldn't be considered fair by international monitoring standards (don't believe me? check the UN site). Four Pinnochios are in order for this whopper.

This is a major, major falsehood. Her website may have an asterisk, but her speeches and the TV appearances of her surrogates (Bayh and Rendell) do not. It is unfair and wrong to count Florida, but completely deceptive and fraudulent to count Michigan, where Obama got 0 votes. How can anyone say with a straight face that Clinton should be credited with 100% of Michigan's votes? People need to be called on this lie, which is sure to be repeated ad nauseum over the next two weeks. Please don't take the easy way out and say that "there are arguments for each side." There are not. There is no credible argument that Clinton is winning the popular vote. Anyone who claims to the contrary is a liar.

Once again the Clinton campaign is trying to hoodwink the American people by claiming that Hillary now leads the popular vote. They really think the voters are stupid.

Those Clinton spinmeisters think they are being clever and smart. Pathetic.

You know,

My girlfriend is REALLY big on honesty and character. I am a better man for having her in my life. When I look at the Hillary camp overall I wonder how she can claim to be such a great mother and wife.

Leader of the free world? WOW!

It truly amazes me..

unreal....

She has overtaken Obama in the popular vote. Florida and Michigan voters will vote in Nov.
They are not barred from the general election
are they? She is not lying to me, but she is to you. Of course if she opens her mouth it's worth at least one pinnochio to you. How long have you been a Clinton hater? I know it's been a while.

When are you going to check on Obama's knowledge og Wright's statements?

All reputable news sources, when listing popular vote, give her totals, his totals, and before PA vote, always notates she was 94.000 behind if you counted Florida and Michigan.
You Obamamaniacs paste sources like crazy and even crazy posters. She is not lying. She is now leading by 100,000 if those two state votes are counted. They "will" be counted in November, you know. Not counting those two she is behind 500,000. It's how you look at it. I choose to look at it as she is ahead.

Yes, Chief, Florida and Michigan voters will vote in the general election, but as you point out they'll be doing so in November, not September or October. All serious candidates will have campaigned, and most importantly their names will be on the ballot.

Would you please name the candidate that has honesty and character. I must be missing someone? Would it be Nader? Is there someone else out there I don't know about?

Yes, Chief, Florida and Michigan voters will vote in the general election, but as you point out they'll be doing so in November, not September or October. All serious candidates will have campaigned, and most importantly their names will be on the ballot.

Posted by: Andrew
__________________________________________

Andrew, I believe Obama did campaign in Florida. I believe the same ads he ran in Ga. and AL ran in Fla. Of course he was required to buy the whole area to save money. (Has ole Fact Checker checked that lie.) To be "honest" the serious candidates campaigned in Fla. I'm not sure about MI. but because both are typical politicians I'm sure they managed it, just in case.

There is a big difference between Clinton and Obama supporters. Clinton supporters know and accept Hillary's faults. Obamanites think he has no faults. We just can't figure out how you guys could be that stupid.

Hey Chief, why do you keep saying they will vote in November in the general? This is the Democratic Primary we're talking about...is Hillary mounting some independent campaign for president once Obama gets the nomination?

A perfect Clinton election Michigan . Also favored by the political leaders in several other countrys. Superdelegates time to pull the plug . Really I believe Hillary is just trying at this point to make sure Sen. Obama is not elected ,. She waited a long time and thur many' Bimbo eruptions' For slick Willie to make her president . And Bill sure does not want a Democrat to erase his stained legacy'

Chief has his "facts " mixed up. In Michigan all the Democrats removed thier names [ at least all that were not subject to sniper fire in Bosnia] Hillary said she realised that the results would not count[ maybe she forgot she is almost 60 and it may have been late at night} signed a plege to that effect[ maybe her fingers where crossed] Now has forgotten the whole think. Honesty and integrity count

Chief,
You are flat wrong when you say that Obama supporters think he has no faults. We KNOW he has faults. We know what they are. But his faults do not matter as much to us - do not add up, say - because we know that he has all of the skills and qualities this country needs to move forward in what will be a VERY difficult time, and not stagnate or move backwards.

I don't give a crap about Wright. And I'm not willing to hold Obama responsible for anything Wright says, just like I'm not willing to hold Hillary responsible when Bill chases skirt, or even hold you responsible when people close to you screw up. I couldn't give a crap when Obama was in the church and "heard" statements Wright made, or when he was absent. These are not issues we need to be focusing on. They waste my time and energy.

Do you know why young people and educated people are fervently backing Obama? Because we see the future and the depth of the problems, and we know that neither Hillary - nor McCain - have the imagination or the temperment or the people skills to find common ground with all of the interests that will be tugging in the debates. They do not have the intellectual integrity, to say nothing of the personal integrity, to lead us in a new direction. We have seen this from the way they talk during campaigns, the ads they run, the lies they tell.

Similarly, Hilary's base is rooted in the past, in fear of change, in status quo of years gone by that we cannot recapture. McCain - don't get me started. He doesn't even remember what he says from day to day.

Obama supporters, in fact, are among the clearest thinking when it comes to him, and his advantages or disadvantages. To say that he has somehow blinded huge numbers of people with his "charm", or his large white teeth, is assinine. It assumes people are stupid. And, like Obama, we don't assume people are stupid. We assume they are smart, thinking, and essentially good.

What a decisive victory for her, the home town girl. she picked up 9 delegates more than Obama in PA. And no matter how the deadly duo, lawyers both, spin it, it's about delegate count not popular vote. last week Jon Stewart asked Obama if after he won the nomination, and the general election and was been sworn in as president, would Hillary still be running? Stubbornness is not strength, it is often stupidity. And speaking of stupidity it is what has done her in; she was too dumb, after entering the fray with more advantages than any candidate in our history, to have a back up plan if she did not lock up the nomination on Super Tuesday. Now she is trailing a tyro and all the Clinton-speak is not going to matter.

And, like Obama, we don't assume people are stupid. We assume they are smart, thinking, and essentially good.

Posted by: JohnDC | April 24, 2008 9:39 AM

You do make an exception for the Dumb and Dumber Clintons, don't you? The smartest woman in the world is turning out to be barely educable. She has proven the point that experience doesn't matter for her only experience lies in lying and she is horrible at it. The smartest woman might also realize that when the press is present there may be recording the event. Hype, Hubby, and Hyperbole got her further
than she should be but it's over. Where the hell is Dan Gallagher when we need him?

Wait a minute, the quote says "more people have voted for Hillary Clinton", not "Hillary Clinton leads the popular vote". It's true... it' complete spin, but it's true!

Hillary surrogates are another thing, but that's not what you're fact checking.

Is the Washington Post really paying your salary to point out such obvious nonsense?

You know, I'd be interested to see you fact check Bill Clinton's statement on S. Carolina the other day. Have memos really surfaced which reveal the Obama campaign purposefully looked to racialize the contest in advance of his comments? Did he or did he not pick up the phone to Jesse Jackson afterwards? (this would take some investigative reporting, but I'm pretty sure that's part of a journalist's job).

After awarding the 4 pinocchios for incoming sniper fire someone from the Clinton campaign evidently reached out to Dobbs and told him to get in line or else. Dobbs got scared and heeded their advice. Grow some balls Dobbs

Clintons winning the popular vote if you count all the votes.

If you count George W. Bush style , obama is winning.

That's what digusts me, How like George Bush mr obama is...

And this is how it will always be, Hillary is just eight more years of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Rice and Rove, in the sense that they constantly phrase things that in some weird sense can sound true but are PURPOSELY misleading; as if every citizen is supposed to be a trained trial attorney.

Like Rice and Ashcroft: No it's not torture, it is just pain, humiliation, physical abuse and near drowning. It isn't torture unless it results in DEATH or organ failure. And anything that does that? Well it wasn't torture, it was an accidental death, because we didn't INTEND for that to happen. So nothing we do is ever wrong, by definitions.

Bill Clinton: "I did not have sex with that woman." Of course, getting a blow job that culminates in his orgasm is not sex by HIS definition, so according to him and Hillary, he did not lie. He was just misunderstood, right?

I am so tired of this Clinton Crap, get out of the race. I voted for and caucused for Obama and I am a white southern male over 50. I think it is impossible for the lying flipping McCain to beat him, but even if that remote possibility happens because of racism or whatever, I don't care, I'd rather take a chance on something real than suffer for what could be the rest of my life under the corrupt and self-serving, lobbyist infected, lying government of either Clinton or McCain. C'mon America, stop being such suckers. CHANGE something!

Every time HRC opens her mouth, untruths fly out by the bucket full. As a politician, she does not set good examples, especially for my daughter.

ATTENTION JACKSMITH :-)

If you think you can make people listen to and believe your poorly-phrased, poorly-reasoned partisan attacks on Barack Obama,

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think Barack Obama's EXTENSIVE experience as a civil rights attorney, activist, community leader, state legislator, and U.S. Senator (MORE years in elected office than Hillary) is outweighed by her 35 years as a lawyer for WalMart (a few years), political wife (35 years), and U.S. Senator (a few years, during which she lay down for W on Iraq!) (see the difference?)

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama, facing an economy on the verge of collapse, could not handle the situation at least as well if not better than Hillary Clinton. Who also has no experience, and Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) lucked into the greatest economic expansion and prosperity in American history (due primarily to the advent of the Internet which he didn't invent, and the end of the Cold War with which he had nothing to do) - largely irrelevant because HE IS NOT THE CANDIDATE

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama's realistic approach to health care is not as good as Hillary Clinton's poll-driven election year contrivance - she, Who delayed this current health care debate back in 1993, when she - alone, because she would accept neither advice nor criticism from anyone, let alone Democrats in Congress - failed to get universal health care for all the American people.

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama, with the experience of having been one of only a few political figures to appreciate the disastrous mistake we were making in Iraq, cannot better manage that situation than can Hillary Clinton, Who voted to invade Iraq when Bush asked so that she would look strong enough on defense to run for president, and Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced by polls that the American people thought he absolutely had to - and who, once again, IS NOT AND CANNOT BE THE CANDIDATE

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama cannot be at least as effective at saving the environment as Hillary Clinton - with no experience saving the environment, and Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) left office having presided over the most dramatic increase in carbon emissions in American history, and who did not raise mileage standards for his entire Administration

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama, graduate of Columbia and Harvard Law (where he was President of the Law Review) and sometime professor at the University of Chicago, is not substantially better-informed than Hillary Clinton, Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) presided over yearly increases in the cost of higher education which were much greater than inflation -

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama with no federal experience but a first-class mind will not be FAR better than Hillary Clinton, who spent 8 years on the right hand side of the bed of President Bill Clinton (OK, more like 6 1/2) Who is one of only two Presidents in American history ever to be impeached

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that you can change the way Washington works with the narcissism and political cynicism of two people who have never worked other than as politician (well, one mostly as a politician's wife) but who still want you believe they are ON YOUR SIDE, like Hillary and Bill Clinton, rather than with inspirational ideas and conversations from and with Obama, ..

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think all those Republicans voting for Clinton in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are NOT doing so at the suggestion of Rush Limbaugh...

Best regards

Jacques Smith

p.s. You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you don't know that the huge amounts of money funding Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering...

You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the ego to try to drum up massive amounts of new business for the health insurers in the name of "affordable, universal" health care for everyone, ignoring the research - which she had to have seen - which said that the only useable and effective model for universal coverage is SINGLE-PAYER... NOT a giveaway to Aetna, Met, etc.

Posted by: jacquessmith | April 24, 2008 11:07 AM

One Pinocchio:

"Some shading of the facts. Selective telling of the truth. Some omissions and exaggerations, but no outright falsehoods."

You say:

"By the more generally accepted measure of the primaries that were actually valid, Obama still has a popular vote lead of around 500,000 votes, or 1.7 percent."

What about Clinton's statement is NOT an outright falsehood then? It is, providing the absolute largest amount of deference possible to Clinton, misleading to the point of being a lie. Explain to me how that equates to one pinocchio?

Clinton, Dodd, and Kucinich left their names on the Michigan ballot. Edwards and Obama coordinated to remove their names to suck up to Iowa and New Hampshire, and deny Clinton the ability to have a clear victory in a state where she was heavily favored to win. John Conyers actively encouraged Obama supporters to vote "uncommited" to offset the Clinton vote.

Obama ran a nationwide cable TV ad buy that ran in Florida before the primary. Clinton went to a fundraiser in Florida the night of the primary, timed to appear after the polls closed.Neither campaigned, but by Jan 29, voters in Florida already had seen both candidates compete in 4 states and several debates and the national press heavily covered the race, so Florida and Michigan voters were familiar with the candidates.

The DNC should have allowed for revotes in both states. Obama's attorneys blocked this even though Clinton supporters were prepared to fund them.

Obama has blocked MI ad FL revotes and refused to debate in NC. He is a frontrunner afraid of his challenger.

"She has overtaken Obama in the popular vote. Florida and Michigan voters will vote in Nov.
They are not barred from the general election "
And, since Obama's name wasn't on the primary ballot, nobody in Michigan will vote for him in the genral? Pull the other one.

The electoral vote is what counts in the general election in November. If the Dem.primaries chose to follow the electoral college system, sen Clinton would have built up a 15 point lead over sen. Obama in total electoral votes after the PA primary and will be able to end the Dem. primary with her as the nominee for the general election

Clinton is now claiming the lead in the popular vote based on including Michigan and Florida?

Clinton supporters:

Is there no act or claim by this craven, cynical opportunist that will make you re-consider?

If not, why exactly are you supporting her?

Why does everything Hillary say need an asterik? She agreed FL and MI would not count but reverses when convenient. Hillary says, "I'd be winning the race if the tally was based on pant suits or cumulative scandals with my husband."
THE CLINTONS: WILLING TO THROW AWAY INTEGRITY FOR SHORT-TERM POLITICAL GAIN

Why does everything Hillary say need an asterik? She agreed FL and MI would not count but reverses when convenient. Hillary says, "I'd be winning the race if the tally was based on pant suits or cumulative scandals with my husband."
THE CLINTONS: WILLING TO THROW AWAY INTEGRITY FOR SHORT-TERM POLITICAL GAIN

Wow, I wish I could change the rules in the 4th quarter of a competition. Maybe I should tell my son that points are no longer the basis by which one wins a basketball game when he's losing. I could change the game's purpose to rebounds and blocks. What a great lesson Hills.

Hillary's botox is seeping into her brain. She has run the most pathetic campaign ever. She lost a primary that was supposed to be a coronation. What makes you Clinton supporters think she wouldn't find a way to lose the general? I think the most crucial segment to look at in an election are the voting voters. Not some straw polls where everyone isn't on the ballot, but, you know, the contests that the candidates agreed would count.

Submitted by Evelyn Pringle on April 4, 2008 - 12:47pm. Commentary | Nation - World | Politics and Elections

Obama


(Best Syndication) Barack Obama has a long history of working with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and governors of Illinois, including the current Governor Rod Blagojevich, in doling government funding for housing development in Chicago. His history is hardly a model of success, except for the hundred of millions in profits made by the chosen few slumlords.

Less than a year ago, in the April 26, 2007, Chicago Sun-Times, Fran Spielman reported that Chicago aldermen were accusing the Daley administration "of being asleep at the switch while low-income housing projects developed by the now-indicted Tony Rezko collapsed into disrepair."

"The spigot of loans, grants and tax credits should have been cut off when the first of 30 taxpayer-supported Rezko buildings in Chicago fell into disrepair, the aldermen said," according to the report.

Instead, Spielman said, a "Sun-Times investigation showed that the city, state and federal governments kept the gravy train rolling -- to the tune of $100 million between 1989 and 1998."

The lending continued, the Times noted, even as the city repeatedly sued Rezko's development company, Rezmar, "for such basics as no heat."

"They were going after people for being slum landlords in one department and loaning them money in another," said Alderman Freddrenna Lyle.

Obama now wants to bring this dog and pony show to Washington. I can see it now. His former boss, Allison Davis, at the Davis, Miner & Barnhill law firm, that served as a hub for Rezko's thriving slumlord business for a decade before Davis quit and became partners with Rezko, will be appointed to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Davis and his partners, which include his sons Jared and Cullen, have received more than $100 million in taxpayer subsidies to build and rehab apartments and homes over the past 10 years and have made at least $4 million in development fees, according to the Times.

"Davis has gotten deal after deal from the mayor, helping to make Davis one of the city's top developers," Tim Novak noted in the November 7, 2007 Sun-Times.

There's already a plan in place to guarantee that the Chicago model of "community development" is carried out in the White House. In his "Plan to Fight Poverty in America," Obama says, "we should create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing in mixed-income neighborhoods."

The Plan will create a "White House Office of Urban Policy" to develop a strategy for metropolitan America, and Obama will appoint a Director of Urban Policy who will report directly to him, as president, to "coordinate all federal urban programs," the Plan states.

Mayor Daley will probably be hired for this gig. The Plan explains that Obama will task his new Director "to work across federal agencies and with community and business leaders to identify and address the unique economic development barriers of every major metropolitan area in the country."

While climbing the political ladder, Obama held himself out to be a champion of rights for minority-owned businesses. According to an article on Black Enterprize.com, "it is Obama's strong record when it comes to supporting minority-owned businesses that has black business leaders working overtime to send the 42-year-old congressman to Washington."

However, an example of the Chicago version of a minority-owned business is DV Urban Realty Partners, where Allison Davis, who is an African American millionaire many times over, owns 51%, and Robert Vanecko, Mayor Daley's nephew, owns 49%.

On July 18, 2007, Obama discussed his plan to deal with urban poverty in a speech at the Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation Center in Washington and started out by tugging the heart strings by invoking the name of Bobby Kennedy and stated:

"It's been four decades since Bobby Kennedy crouched in a shack along the Mississippi Delta and looked into the wide, listless eyes of a hungry child. Again and again he tried to talk to this child, but each time his efforts were met with only a blank stare of desperation.

"And when Kennedy turned to the reporters traveling with him, with tears in his eyes he asked a single question about poverty in America: 'How can a country like this allow it?'"
"Forty years later," Obama said, "we're still asking that question."

First of all, "Barack Obama you are no Robert Kennedy," and we're still asking the question because the careers of politicians like Obama are funded by a political mafia which has turned helping the poor into a cottage industry.

During his speech, Obama himself spelled out why low-income housing developers get away with funneling tax dollars through poor people in cities like Chicago without drawing any scrutiny, when he stated:

"These Americans cannot hire lobbyists to roam the halls of Congress on their behalf, and they cannot write thousand-dollar campaign checks to make their voices heard. They suffer most from a politics that has been tipped in favor of those with the most money, and influence, and power."

In Obama's case, a whole gang of slumlords in Illinois made their "voices heard" by writing campaign checks to fund his rise to fame. But as long as the focus of the slumlord allegations remains solely on a crook named Rezko, the other members of the gang will not get the credit they deserve. See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

One fact is beyond dispute. Without the fundraising of his political Godfather, Rezko, Obama's rise to power would not have occurred. However, Rezko was not the pied piper of Hamlin who led Illinois politicians astray. It's the other way around. Without the cooperation of the corrupt government officials, Rezko would not have been able to fund their political campaigns.

In Illinois, favored politicians are joined at the hip when it comes to fundraising. For instance, from 1999 through 2006, an analysis by the Chicago Tribune shows Obama took in more than $1.5 million from some 700 people who also contributed to Mayor Daley during his political career.

A cursory review of Illinois campaign records shows Allison Davis and his family members giving close to $16,000 to Obama's presidential campaign. The Sun-Times reports that Davis has donated more than $400,000 to dozens of political campaigns, and the top beneficiaries include Mayor Daley, Blagojevich and Obama.

The truth about all the scams run by the political mafia operating in Illinois is only coming out now because of Rezko's corruption trial, and if the Democrats want to lose any chance of winning the White House, all they have to do is nominate Obama.

This case is only the first of what could be many to go to trial. Other criminal charges are pending against several people listed in the indictment, and civil lawsuits have been filed against many of the same people and are awaiting the outcome of the criminal cases.

If Obama had an ounce of respect for Democratic voters, he'd drop out of the race before the details of the corruption in Illinois spread to the rest of the country. If the leaders of the Democratic party had a lick of sense, they would inform Obama right now that under no circumstances will his name be on the ballot come fall.

Political junkies know the details of all the sordid scandals swirling around Obama in Chicago, but the average American voter does not have a clue.

The prosecution team is led by the US Attorney for Northern Illinois, Patrick Fitzgerald, of Scooter Libby fame; the same guy who put the last Illinois Governor behind bars and convicted a host of government officials from the Daley administrations who were involved in what prosecutors called "pervasive fraud" to rig city hiring for 12 years with persons who got out the vote for Mayor Daley, and the candidates he endorsed, as well as numerous crooks rounded up during the scandal involving Daley's Hired Truck program.

The list of names in the indictment includes about eight persons referred to as "Co-Schemers," and reads like a "who's who list" of major campaign donors to Obama, Blagojevich, Daley and other powerful Illinois politicians.

Blagojevich is referred to as "Public Official A," Obama is referred to as a "political candidate," and there is a list of "Individuals" from "Individual A" all the way up to "Individual HH."

By now, everybody following the case knows the names of the "Co-Schemers" and "Individuals", and the Republicans can use the court filings as a roadmap for their plan of attack on Obama. In fact, they are probably editing their talking points for cable news shows as we speak. They no doubt already have video clips in the can of every failed low-income housing project in Chicago connected to Obama to splash across the airwaves the minute he is nominated.

In addition, the Chicago Tribune has two ace reporters, Bob Secter and Jeff Coen, stationed at the courthouse, who provide a daily blog called "Gavel-to-Gavel" on the Tribune website which gives a blow-by-blow account of the live testimony in the trial every few hours.

The names of corrupt politicians and power brokers from both the Democratic and Republican parties are being dropped before the jury like flies. Many of the witnesses, including the main co-defendant, Chicago businessman Stuart Levine, have already pleaded guilty and are testifying under grants of immunity in hope of getting a lighter sentence, which means they have everything to gain by testifying about the other crooks.

Although the Tribune's Gavel-to-Gavel coverage is just as good as having a front-row seat in the courtroom, the Obama camp apparently feels the need to monitor the trial first-hand. On March 14, 2008, during an interview with the Sun-Times, a reporter said to Obama: "You have somebody in the courtroom to monitor the trial, right?"

"We may," he replied, "I think that may be true."

The case involves the corruption of two state regulatory boards. The investigation, dubbed "Operation Board Games," by the Feds, began in December 2003, based on information supplied by an informant. Its now obvious that Rezko was aware of the investigation as early as 2004, because during a January 16, 2007, court hearing his attorney, Joe Duffy, told US District Judge Amy St Eve that he was hired in 2004.

"And my guess is you hired Mr. Duffy to deal with the Feds?" the judge said to Rezko, and Rezko replied, "Yes, your Honor."

The first board controls the Teachers Pension System, which administers pensions and benefits for all Illinois teachers except for those in Chicago, and the Health Facilities Planning Board, which approves all proposals for construction projects that involve medical facilities in Illinois.

The Teacher's Pension fund has over $30 billion in assets. Investment firms that want to do business with the fund submit proposals, and the board votes on whether to approve the proposal. Some members of the board are elected by teachers in the state, others are appointed by the governor and others serve by virtue of their state office such as the school superintendent.

On Blagojevich took office, the Schemers were able to stack the TRS board with members who would vote whichever way they were told. Once they accomplished that feat, they demanded kickbacks from investment firms in exchange for the approval of their proposals.

Rezko's partner in the Rezmar development company, Daniel Mahru, is referred to as "Individual Z" in the indictment, and according to court filings, Rezko told Mahru that "$500 million" of TRS money was earmarked for their company. Mahru is reportedly cooperating with federal investigators.

In addition to lining their own pockets, the money gained through the scheme was funneled to the campaigns of Blagojevich and Obama. Prosecutors have identified two $10,000 payments that were made to Obama's US Senate campaign through straw donors Joseph Aramanda and Elie Maloof, which originated from a kickback paid by investment firm, Glencoe Capital, to secure approval for a $50 million deal. See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

Aramanda and Maloof also each gave Obama $1,000 for his failed run for Congress in 2000. Once Obama became a US Senator, Aramanda's son was granted a coveted intern position in Obama's Senate office in Washington during the summer of 2005, based on a request which the Obama's camp has admitted came from Rezko.

Levine was appointed to the TRS Board in 2000, by Republican Governor George Ryan and was reappointed in 2003 by Blagojevich. As part of the team led by Levine to rig the votes, Blagojevich appointed, attorney Anthony Abboud, to serve. He is "Individual Q" in the indictment. He has been donating money to Obama's political career since March 2000, with a total of more than $2,800.

Blagojevich also appointed, attorney Jack Carriglio, or "Individual R." On June 30, 2003, Carriglio donated $1,000 for Obama's US Senate campaign.

The TRS story has the makings of a great Hollywood movie with subplots upon subplots. Allison Davis, or "Individual BB," was a friend of Hollywood producer Tom Rosenberg, who produced the movie, "The Human Stain," with Anthony Hopkins and Davis in a small part. He also produced the Oscar winning, "Million Dollar Baby."

Rosenberg, or "Individual J," is a central figure in the case. His investment firm, Capri Capital Advisers, a real estate manager, had done about a billion dollars of business with the TRS in the past and wanted to do more. In 2004, the Schemers tried to coerce a bribe from Rosenberg, or in the alternative a $1.5 million contribution for Blagojevich, in exchange for approval of a $220 million deal.

According to the indictment, Davis admitted to Rosenberg that Rezko, and Blagojevich's top fund raiser, Christopher Kelly, or Co-Schemer B, had asked Davis who could raise funds for Blagojevich from the state pension system and he volunteered Rosenberg's name.

During his testimony on April 1, 2008, Levine explained that he was already mad at Rosenberg because he expected $500,000 for help he gave Rosenberg in getting the TRS board to approve a $100 million deal in 2001, but he never came through with the money.

The only benefit Levine received from the deal was that Rosenberg said Levine no longer had to pay him $50,000 a year for lobbying efforts, according to the monitoring by Gavel-to-Gavel.

However, all hell broke lose when Rosenberg refused pay the $1.5 million. During the trial, prosecutors played tapes of phone calls in which comical conversations were discussed between the bipartisan group of Co-Schemers and Individuals, as they were trying to figure out how to deal with Rosenberg and his threats.

The jury heard conversations between Republican power broker, William Cellini, or Co-Schemer A, and Levine, in which they said Rosenberg was threatening to "stand at State and Madison," and make public the attempt to extort money for Blagojevich's campaign and that he would "take them all down," and even threatened to go to the Feds.

They claimed Rosenberg said he considered Rezko and Christopher Kelly the two most likely members of Blagojevich's inner circle to end up in prison someday, according to Gavel-to-Gavel. Kelly has been charged in a separate case with hiding $1.3 million from the IRS and using money from his business to pay gambling debts with Chicago bookies and Las Vegas casinos.

Levine testified that Rezko wanted things to settle down and quoted Rezko saying, "Mr. Rosenberg was a dangerous individual, and nobody wanted to be put in a dangerous situation."

Levine said Rezko told him that TRS should grant Capri the $220 million. "But, in fact, that should be the last business that Mr. Rosenberg does with the State of Illinois," Levine recalled Rezko telling him, according to Gavel-to-Gavel. Levine testified that Rezko said Blagojevich had been briefed on the plan and agreed with it.

During his testimony, Levine also told the jury that Rezko had plans for Blagojevich to run for President. "He said that he had raised a great deal of money for Gov. Blagojevich and that he had great hopes and expectations that Gov. Blagojevich would run for president," Levine told the jury.

"And although he knew it was a long shot, he was working toward that end," Levine said.

He also told the jury about an October 29, 2003, trip in a plane he chartered to carry Blagojevich and others to fundraisers in New York, during which Levine thanked Blagojevich for reappointing him to the Planning board and said the governor told him, "Never discuss any state board with me, discuss them with either Tony Rezko or Chris Kelly."

The TRS part of the story has many subplots. For instance, in 2005, the Feds issued a subpoena to the TRS for records pertaining to a $150 million deal approved for the Carlyle Group, in which Robert Kjellander, or Individual K, described in the August 11, 2005 Sun-Times as the "national Republican Party treasurer," and "a Springfield lobbyist with close ties to the White House," was to be paid a $4.5 million fee.

The most famous investor in the Carlyle Group is the family of Osama bin Laden, and its most famous advisor is the first President George Bush. On October 26, 2001, the New York Times reported that the "Saudi family of Osama bin Laden is severing its financial ties with the Carlyle Group, a private investment firm known for its connections to influential Washington political figures."

"It came largely as a result of public controversy about the family's stake in a Carlyle fund that invests in buyouts of military and aerospace companies," a Carlyle executive told the Times.

After the September 11 attacks, the Times noted, "the investment was criticized amid speculation that the family might profit from increased military spending from America's war on terrorism."

Kjellander reportedly headed Bush's reelection campaign in three states and in December 2003, he was able to obtain an invitation from the Bush administration for Levine, Rezko, and Cellini, along with their wives, to attend a Christmas Party at the White House. See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

Apparently Kjellander is still in good graces with the Republicans because he is "helping plan this September's Republican National Convention in Minneapolis," according to John Kass in the March 7, 2008 Chicago Tribune.

The subpoena issued to the TRS in 2005, also included a request for records involving a $10 million investment approved for Hopewell Ventures in 2003, whose principals included David Wilhelm, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who is now a super delegate who openly supports Obama. Wilhelm was a main player in getting members approved to serve on the Health Facilities Planning Board.

The Board is made up of nine members and approval of a project requires a majority of five votes. At the center of this scheme was a proposal by Mercy Health System to gain approval to build a new hospital in Crystal Lake. On April 21, 2004, the board voted to approve the project, even though state analysts said the hospital was not needed.

Levine was also appointed to the Planning Board by a Republican Governor. However, he established himself as a bipartisan crook early in the trial. On March 10, 2008, he told the jury that even before he got involved with the Blagojevich administration, he used to funnel campaign contributions to Democratic candidates through straw donors at the request of former Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak, who has also been indicted on federal fraud and bribery charges in a related case.

Levine's term on the Board was set to expire in 2004, but the Schemers made sure he remained on the panel. On March 10, 2008, Rezko's lawyer questioned Susan Lichtenstein, former general counsel to Blagojevich, about a series of email exchanges she had related to the appointments of members to the Board in 2003.

One of the emails was between Lichtenstein and the office of Wilhelm, who ran Blagojevich's 2002 campaign, which suggested several appointees, including Levine.

"With the e-mails," Gavel-to-Gavel reports, "Rezko's lawyers appear to be pushing the point that Rezko wasn't alone in backing Levine and that Levine's appointment had a broad array of support."

While all this was going on, as a state senator, Obama was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. As such, his name also appeared in the email exchanges as a member of a team working on legislation to keep the board from expiring under a sunset provision of Illinois law.

The email exchanges said, Wilhelm had "worked closely" over six months with state legislators to extend the life of the board and listed Democrat and Republican leaders in the Illinois Senate and House, including Obama.

The exchange with the names of four candidates for the board stated that "our attached recommendations reflect that involvement" with the political leaders.

In the end, the changes made by the lawmakers in 2003 dropped the number of members on the Board from 15 to 9, making it much easier to stack the panel, and by the summer of 2003, the Schemers controlled a 5-bloc vote.

At the time, Thomas Beck was the chairman of panel, and Levine was the vice-chairman. Beck testified, under a grant of immunity, and told the jury that he took a $1,000 donation for Blagojevich when he met with Rezko to seek reappointment.

The persons chosen to guarantee the votes were 3 doctors: Imad Almanaseer, Michel Malek and Fortunee Massuda.

Massuda, or "Individual Y," gave Obama $2,000 on January 26, 2004. Malek is "Individual FF," and he donated $10,000 to Obama's US Senate campaign on June 30, 2003, and another $500 in September 2003.

Almanaseer, or "Individual EE," contributed $1,000 to Obama on March 12, 2004, and ponied up another $2,000 on May 24, 2004.

This part of the scheme also opens up several subplots. The person responsible for working out the details for the kickback on the Mercy proposal was Jacob Kiferbaum.

Kiferbaum was the builder hired by Mercy to construct the new hospital. Levine told the jury about a long history of taking bribes from Kiferbaum, who would then pad his bills to hide the payments. He said the money would be passed through middlemen, such as John Glennon, a prominent Republican insider, who had served on a pension board with Levine.

The new hospital was never built after details about the crimes became known. Kiferbaum has pleaded guilty in the case and is cooperating with the Feds.

When referring to the fact that Obama's name shows up in the email exchanges as reviewing the recommendations to appoint Levine and the others to the Planning Board, the media is always careful to mention that Obama is not accused of anything.

However, on March 14, 2008, during an interview with the Tribune, Obama was finally asked directly: "Did you have discussions with him [Rezko] about either recommendations that you sought for people or recommendations that he was making?"

"I did not have any formal discussions with Tony," Obama said, "beyond one individual, and that was Dr. Eric Whitaker, who ultimately became the head of the Illinois Department of Public Health and who had been a longtime friend of mine, who I had known since he was getting his master's at Harvard and I was at the law school there."

"He had expressed an interest in that post," Obama informed the Tribune.

"I think he had applied separately," Obama said, "but I don't recall whether I called Tony or he called me."

"And I simply said, 'I think this guy is outstanding and is certainly somebody who is worthy of an interview,'" he added.

"And was it your understanding that Tony was going to effectuate that?" the Tribune asked.

"No," Obama said. "What I knew was, and I don't think this has been disputed, that he was one of a number of people within the Blagojevich circle who were, you know, helping to screen or interview potential candidates for administration posts."

The job Obama recommended for his friend paid about $150,000 a year. However, Eric Whitaker is now an executive vice-president of the University of Chicago Medical Center, according to the March 9, 2008, Sun-Times. That would be the same employer that pays Michelle Obama a salary of close to $350,000 as a vice president.

But Obama's using the lure of the pension funds to raise campaign money goes way back. In 1999, he "was instrumental in the formation of a coalition of black investment firm owners and legislators in Illinois to create an initiative that would award black-owned firms with the management of some of the state's retirement funds," according to a 2004 article on Black Enterprise.com.

"He's out there fighting for us," said John Rogers, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Ariel Capital Management in the article. Rogers donated $9,000 to Obama's US Senate campaign.

"He was a catalyst to pull [everyone] together to create the initiative to have these organizations let minority firms do business with state funds," said Lee Holland, managing partner and Chief Investment Officer of Holland Capital. Lee Holland, his wife and two of his partners donated $35,000 to Obama's US Senate campaign. In the October 1, 2007, New York Times, Christopher Drew and Raymond Hernandez reported that:

"Members of the group, the Alliance of Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs, say Mr. Obama checked into their problems and helped start a drive that enabled minority investment executives to win millions of dollars in business from the state's giant pension funds."

However, the Times pointed out that Obama's political career had benefited many times over from his ties to the group. "Several of the businessmen or their wives would help clear the debts from his Congressional race," the Times wrote, "and six of the group's members are now among the top fund-raisers for his presidential campaign, according to campaign finance records."

All totaled, the Times said, employees at more than 30 companies listed on the group's website and their relatives donated more than $300,000 to help Obama win his US Senate seat in 2004 and "set fund-raising records early in the 2008 presidential race."

In fact, when Illinois State Senator Emil Jones, Jr became the State Senate president in 2003, he assigned Obama to a committee looking into the pension questions "to help raise his political profile," according the Times.

During this period, the Times says, campaign finance records show executives from Ariel Capital, Loop Capital, Holland Capital and Capri Capital, "sharply increased their donations" to Obama's State Senate campaign fund.

"And once he began his campaign for the United States Senate," the Times wrote, "they quickly became a fund-raising core that has carried over into the presidential race."

Obama quit the State Senate committee in late 2003 as his race for the US Senate heated up, "and just as the panel began a series of hearings that produced the most substantial changes," the Times reports.

The changes generated millions dollars in fees for some of the firms. For instance, Loop saw its fees from one pension fund rise to $2.4 million in 2006, from $5,700 in 2001, and Holland and Ariel both got several hundred million from the pension funds to invest.

John Rogers and two other people at Ariel each bundled at least $50,000 in donations for Obama's presidential campaign, according to the Times.

An October 3, 2005 article in the Sun-Times, by Chris Fusco and Dave McKinney, reported that Ariel and its top executives also contributed $117,500 to Blagojevich's campaign. See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

Although the current criminal case focuses on two boards, the testimony of Jill Hayden, the former head of Blagojevich's Office of Boards and Commissions, established that the same process was used to fill some 1,500 positions, on 300 boards and commissions, that control a wide variety of regulatory decisions, which would include other pension funds.

Blagojevich appointed Davis to serve on a separate pension board, the Illinois State Board of Investment, which oversees funds for state employees, judges and legislators, and "also has been under federal investigation," according to the November 7, 2007 Sun-Times

In the September 23, 2007, Sun-Times, in reference to the "minority owned" DV Urban, of Davis and Robert Vanecko, Tim Novak reported that a "nephew of Mayor Daley stands to make millions of dollars from city-connected pension funds" in "winning business from pension funds for city workers, cops, teachers and CTA employees".

All total, the pension funds gave DV Urban $68 million. The first investor was the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund, but according to Novak's report, the board members did not learn that DV Urban was owned by the Mayor's nephew until 6 months after they voted to approve the investment.

As of September 23, 2007, Davis and Vanecko had received $1 million in management fees and they are "guaranteed at least $3 million in management fees and could make as much as $8.4 million before the pension deal ends on Dec. 31, 2014," Novak reports.

In addition, Davis and Vanecko will share in any profits from the real estate deals and can earn a 3% fee on the property they develop.

Obama says he met Rezko, when he got a call right out of the blue from David Brint, after he was elected president of the Harvard Law Review, wanting to know if he would be interested in being a developer for Rezko's real estate company, Rezmar.

Because they read that he was interested in community development work, Obama says, Rezko and his two partners, Mahru and Brint, met with him to discuss the job. "I said no, but I remained friendly with all three of them," Obama said in the Chicago Tribune on November 1, 2006.

"All three of them remained great contributors of mine," he added.

And so they did. According to the latest tally given during interviews with the Tribune and Sun-Times on March 14, 2008, the amount attributed to Rezko went from a claim of $50,000 or $60,000 a year ago, to Rezko raising roughly $250,000.

In fact, Obama told the Tribune that Rezko "might have raised $50,000 to $75,000" for one campaign alone in his failed run for Congress in 2000.

The Rezmar connection is a gift that keeps on giving. In February 2007, David Brint gave Obama $4,600, and his wife, Elizabeth gave contributed $2,300. Brint also hosted a fundraiser for Obama in June 2007. Elizabeth donated a couple thousand in 2002 and $2,000 more in 2003 as well.

On March 17, 2000, Mahru gave Obama $1,000, listing himself as president of Rezmar. On March 4, 2004, he donated a whopping $5,000. Mahru also tossed $1,000 to Mayor Daley in 2001 and gave him another $1,500 in 2003.

But then Rezko and Mahru had plenty of money to throw around. By 1998, Rezko had a reported net worth of $34 million and Mahru was worth $14.6 million, according to the "Rezmar who's who list," published in the April 24, 2007 Sun-Times.

After turning down the surprise job offer from Rezko, Obama expects voters to believe that he just happened to get hired at the small 12-attorney Davis law firm, which just happened to represent Rezmar in development deals. And then a couple years later, Rezko's companies just happened to appear on the very first contributions made to the "Friends of Obama" committee to launch his political career as a state senator.

On March 14, when asked by the Sun-Times, whether the subject of politics was mentioned at his first meeting with Rezko, Obama stated: "Quite frankly, I don't recall. I think it was talking about the possibility of me working for him."

About the same time that Rezko began funding Obama's campaign for the Illinois senate, Rezmar began developing low-income apartments with three non-profit groups, which were also represented by the Davis law firm, including the Chicago Urban League, the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corp, and the Fund for Community Redevelopment and Revitalization.

Bishop Arthur Brazier, described as "a powerful ally of the mayor" by the Sun-Times, founded the Woodlawn Preservation Corp and the Fund for Community Redevelopment.

Davis was the treasurer for Woodlawn when the group went into business with Rezmar and he also served on the board that ran the Fund for Community Redevelopment.

By the time Rezmar started working with the non-profits, two of its earlier projects were having major problems, including a building where the tenants were without heat for five weeks between December 1996 and February 1997. The city had to sue to get the heat turned back on and in fact Chicago sued Rezmar for failing to heat buildings at least a dozen times, according to the Sun-Times.

Obama got a $1,000 campaign donation from Rezmar on January 14, 1997, while those tenets were without heat, Novak reports. Records show that Obama also received a $1,000 contribution from Resko Concessions, a day earlier on January 13, 1997.

Rezmar rehabbed 15 buildings between 1995 and 1998 in partnership with the nonprofits.. Each project involved public and private financing including loans from the city or state, federal low-income-housing tax credits and bank loans. The way it was set up, Rezko and Mahru always came out ahead because Rezmar was paid part of the development fees when a deal closed and the remainder when tenants moved in.

The projects were supposed to provide housing for low-income tenents for at least 25 years. "But the first deal Rezmar struck with the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corp. collapsed in just six and a half years, when the state sued for foreclosure," according to a report by Novak in the April 23, 2007 Sun-Times.

Of the buildings managed by Rezko and Mahru, 17 ended up in foreclosure, six buildings are currently boarded up, hundreds of the apartments are vacant and in need of major repairs, and taxpayers are left stuck with millions in unpaid loans, Novak reports.

An "Operation Board Games" investigation should be conducted on the slumlord business in Illinois over the past 15 years. The Chicago Sun-Times reporters, and especially Tim Novak, have already done an excellent job in connecting all the dots.

Daley became Mayor in 1989 and Rezmar got its first city loan of $629,000 the same year, even though Rezko and Mahru had no construction experience. See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

Rezmar stopped making the $2,982 payments three years later and missed 16 payments before the city changed the terms so that Rezmar would only have to pay $465 a month, according to the Sun-Times report by Novak.

Over the years Davis has been appointed to serve on the Illinois Capital Development Board, which oversees state construction projects, and the Chicago Public Building Commission. Daily appointed Davis to the Chicago Plan Commission in 1991, where he stayed until January 2006.

The Plan Commission must approve, disapprove or defer any proposal by a public body or agency "to acquire, dispose, or change any real property within the territorial limits of the city" on the basis of whether or not the referral complies with the city's long range planning goals and objectives, according to its web site.

After Rezko got Davis appointed to the pension fund Board, Davis helped Rezmar in two major developments as a member of the Plan Commission, even though the two men were business partners. The first vote involved a housing development along the Chicago River at Irving Park Road and was cast a month after Davis won a seat on the Board.

The second was cast a year later in March 2004, for the approval of Rezmar's proposal for the 62 acre South Loop project. This deal collapsed shortly before Rezko was indicted in October 2006, according to Novak.

Daley made Thomas McNulty, the attorney who acquired the buildings for Rezmar, president of the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund, a charity run by the city that doles out tax dollars to landlords to subsidize rent payments for the poor. Rezmar received more than $2.7 million from this charity fund, according to the "Rezmar who's-who list" in the April 24, 2007 Sun-Times.

Mahru was appointed to the Illinois Affordable Housing Advisory Commission in 1993, which helps decide which projects get state funds, by Governor Jim Edgar.

Obama began serving on the board of Woods Fund, a Chicago charity foundation, in 1993, the same year he was hired by Davis' law firm. In 2000, Davis went to the foundation to help fund his plans to build low income housing. Obama voted to invest $1 million with Neighborhood Rejuvenation Partners, a $17 million partnership that Davis still operates, according to a report by Novak in the November 29, 2007 Sun-Times.

Davis used some of the money to build a 72-unit apartment building for senior citizens, a $10 million project built with a $5.7 million city loan, which earned Davis nearly $700,000 in development fees, Novak says city records show.

Davis' son Cullen is paid to manage the building, which opened three years ago with a ceremony featuring Mayor Daley.

Kelly King Dibble was the vice president for business development at Rezmar and she became the executive director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority once Blagojevich became Governor. She is now an attorney with, The Northern Trust Company, the same company that financed Obama's mansion.

Velma Butler, an investor in Rezko's 62 acre Loop project, also serves on the Illinois Housing Authority. She donated $1,000 to Obama's US Senate campaign in 2003..

On October 1, 2006, Daley appointed Martin Nesbitt chairperson of the Chicago Housing Authority. The CHA was created for "the purposes of engaging in the development, acquisition, leasing, operation, and administration of a Low Rent Housing Program and other federally assisted programs," according to the agency's 2005 annual financial report.

Nesbitt succeeded Sharon Gist Gilliam, according to the CHA web site. Gilliam is a former board member of Rezmar. She told the Sun-Times that she was only on the Rezmar board until 1991. However, the Times found her still listed as a board member in a 1994 biography on the company's web site.

Daley had appointed Nesbitt commissioner of the Housing Authority on July 9, 2003, and he served as vice chairperson of the Board since January 17, 2006.

Nezbitt is also vice president of the Pritzker Realty Group, where he procures new real estate investment opportunities, retail investments and developments for the Pritzker Group, according to the CHA web site. A quick trip to the Huffington Post site showed tens of thousands of dollars donated to Obama from people with the last name Pritzker in the Chicago area but many people are listed as homemaker or not employed or information requested, so its impossible to sort them out.

Nesbitt is treasurer for Obama's presidential campaign according to the Center for Public Integrity. Over his political career, Nesbitt has contributed more than $10,000 to Obama's campaigns.

Michelle Obama was hired as an assistant in Daley's office by Valerie Jarrett, Daley's deputy chief of staff in 1991. When Daley appointed Jarrett chairman of the Office of Planning and Development, Michelle became her assistant..

Jarrett is now CEO of the real estate development and management firm, called Habitat, which manages the housing program for the Chicago Housing Authority.

The Commission on Chicago landmarks "is responsible for recommending to the City Council that individual buildings, sites, objects, or entire districts be designated as Chicago Landmarks, thereby providing legal protection," according to the government web site.

Daley appointed Michelle to serve on the Chicago Landmark Commission. The current chairman of the Commission is Daley's former chief of staff, David Mosena.

Mosena was a member of Obama's US Senate Finance Committee in 2004, with other members that included Valerie Jarrett, Tony Rezko, Rita Rezko, and Allison Davis. The committee raised more than $14 million, according to Federal Election Commission records, cited by Novak in the Sun-Times on April 23, 2007. Jarrett serves as an advisor to Obama's presidential campaign.

The Illinois Finance Authority was established by Blagojevich in 2004. Its "role is to support the Governor of Illinois' economic development agenda," and "IFA approves about $3 billion in project financing each year," according to the its site.

Rezko business associate, Ali Ata, was appointed to head the Finance Authority. He is now under indictment in a separate criminal case in which Rezko is also charged. On June 30, 2003, Ata contributed $5,000 to Obama's US senate campaign.

On June 13, 2007, the Sun-Times reported that as a state senator, "Obama wrote letters to city and state officials supporting his political patron Tony Rezko's successful bid to get more than $14 million from taxpayers to build apartments for senior citizens."

"I am writing in support of the New Kenwood LLC's proposal to build a ninety-seven unit apartment building at 48th and Cottage Grove for senior citizens,'' Obama wrote in October 28, 1998 letters to both city and state housing officials. "This project will provide much needed housing for Fourth Ward citizens.''

New Kenwood was set up as another "minority owned" company, where Davis owned 51% and Rezko 49%.

In the Times, Novak reported that the deal included $855,000 in development fees for Rezko and Davis, while Obama was still working at the Davis law firm, for a bid on a project that was "four blocks outside Obama's state Senate district."

Although the law firm represented several companies owned by Davis and Rezko when Obama wrote the letters, the firm did not represent New Kenwood in the deal. According to the Sun-Times, Davis and Rezko instead hired a firm owned by Mayor Daley's brother Michael, "to help them get $3.1 million from bonds issued by the city of Chicago."

"In addition to the development fees, a separate Davis-owned company stood to make another $900,000 through federal tax credits," Novak reported in the June 13, 2007 Sun-Times.

The development opened in 2002 and was supposed to be managed by William Moorehead & Associates. William Moorehead was also a client of the Davis law firm and a business partner of Davis. In April 2007, Moorehead told the Times that his company was dropped from the deal before the apartments opened. The apartments are now managed by a company owned by Davis' son, Cullen Davis, according to Novak.

In the Times article, Novak also noted that Moorehead received a 4-year prison sentence "for stealing more than $1 million from ... public housing projects he managed for the Chicago Housing Authority and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, as well as from two developments he co-owned with Davis." See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

In a 2006, Moorehead pleaded guilty to fraud and other crimes and admitted stealing more than $600,000 from the Island Terrace and other federally subsidized projects.

During the period when Moorehead was stealing money, the Times reports, he lent Davis $100,000. Davis sent Moorehead a letter on June 15, 2000, and said the sale and refinancing of one of their housing projects had been delayed and wrote: "I need to borrow $100,000 from the Island Terrace resources."

As part of a plea deal, Moorehead is cooperating in an ongoing federal investigation.

David Brint now owns Brinshore Development. He told the Times that he quit Rezmar four years after the company got its first deal with city because Mahru did not find money for building repairs. Brint and his partners have taken over four failed Rezmar buildings -- "in one case paying the city $1 million to settle a $4 million loan made to Rezmar," according to the Times.

Gary Poter owned the construction company that rehabbed all of Rezmar's buildings. He was stabbed to death in May 2006, supposedly by a disgruntled employee, according to the Times "Rezmar who's who" list. Back on March 3, 2004, Poter donated $2,000 to Obama's US senate campaign and on July 19, 2004, he gave Obama another $1,000.

Its more than obvious that the political mafia of Illinois now has plans to install the new, "White House Office of Urban Policy," as a means of getting richer by funneling tax dollars through poor people and retirees on a national level via Obama.

The leaders of Democratic party need to tell him that he will not be the nominee and to drop out of the race. If they do not, the Republicans have enough truthful information lined up to drive Obama out before election day.

A month ago a friend of mine who knew I did not think Obama was qualified to be president, asked me what I would do if he was nominated. I replied that I would vote for him of course, what a dumb question. No more. After a month of research, I could no more support Barack Obama as the leader of this country than I could support another war profiteering Republican.

If he becomes the nominee, all the Democrats in America will be viewed by the rest of the world as either utterly stupid, or totally corrupt. Therefore, for the first time in my life, I have made a conscious decision to take a stand and not vote in a presidential election if the choice is Obama. See what others are saying and join the discussion at our Forum

Evelyn Pringle
evelyn-pringle@sbcglobal.net

(The next report in this series will cover the subplots of the ongoing Illinois corruption case that stretch from O'Hare airport to the Illinois Tollway to war profiteering in Iraq)

(Evelyn Pringle is a columnist for OpEd News and an investigative journalist focused on exposing corruption in government and corporate America)

Project For A New American Century:

The above article is one of many reasons why people are not voting Obama. He has alot of things in his closet that have not been reported yet. The 527's will take him down in the next few weeks. I do not understand why you are all voting for Obama because his record is weak and mostly made up, go look for yourselves. You are being led blindly and have turned into kool aide drinkers.

d55may:

Next time, just post a link. That's why we need character limits on these posts.

One Pinocchio for an outright lie?!

And the "source" of her claim was ABC, the same network that ran the so called debate in PA?

Can you say "establishment"?!

The Clintons now claim that:

1) Caucuses are not democratic. Since they've been party big wigs for close to the 35 years Hillary cites, when did they ever try to change the methods by which states exercise the right to elect by caucus, primary, or the Texas two-step? Why did we hear no discussion about the un-democratic nature of Iowa until after she lost?

2) Elections voided by the party for not cooperating -- i.e., by not performing as members of the party -- were not supported until they were needed by the Clintons. What defense of MI and FL did we hear before Super Tuesday failed to seal their deal? I conceded she kept her name on the ballots which is a sign of her protest, but she did not defend the elections until she was in trouble. Indeed, she had pledged to skip MI, but apparently just forgot to play by the rules she overtly agreed to.

3) Democracy only counts in big states, to hell with most of America. I understand that electoral math matters, but I don't understand how anyone can defend the Clinton posture unless they also defend Karl Rove (from whom they seem to have learned to use dark methods very well). How should an Arkansan feel about the Clintons not only ditching them once they hit the big time, but then going further to claim that small states are just not interesting?

4) They won Texas. I have not seen anyone in print or on tv citing the fact that Obama ended up with one MORE delegate than Clinton in TX. The Post maps call that a split. ????! Hillary did not seal the deal in Texas. Obama won by one delegate.

I sure hope we'll move beyond dynasty in America!

So let me get this straight, Obama is ahead by 500,000 actual votes if he excludes the actual votes from MI & FL.

Hillary takes a lead of 122,000 or 12,500 if "all" the votes are counted.

Don't Dems want "all" the votes to count? I don't see where the dilemma is, count all the votes. Or are we OK with disenfranchising people just to get the nominee we want. This reminds of FL in 2000. Situational ethics are ok as long as your guy gets the nomination. Nice... makes me all warm and tingly with hope.

Obama chose to take his name off the ballot in MI, I haven't heard why he chose to do that. Was it because he knew he wouldn't win against Hillary there?

Looking at Clinton's website, it says that more people have voted for Hillary than Barack. The news release doesn't specify the circumstances. It doesn't say that "she is ahead in the popular vote" because that is contingent on circumstances. Yet, that is the question the "Fact Checker" asks and for which he awards a Pinocchio.

It seems clear the Fact Checker needs to return to high school and take remedial reading. Even a high school student can distinguish the difference between these statements.

I think one reason the Hil/Bill duo are not as popular as the Obama camp is because of the constant spinning done by her PR team. Clinton and her staff need to realize that Americans have already been through 8 years of being lied to and running a campaign to take over the White House based on skewed stats in her favor is not a good plan.

When Al Gore won the popular vote but George Bush became president because he had more electors, Democrats were outraged.

But, when Obama supporters see that more people have voted for Hillary, they go into insane attack mode. Hmmm... reminds me of those Rethugs they shipped in to cause chaos during the Florida recount.

Hillary and Barack's names were both on the ballot in Florida. Neither one campaigned there, but the voters had ample opportunity to get information to make a decision. They did. Hillary won. Their votes are being ignored because the DNC is punishing the state for not bowing down to the almighty Iowa and New Hampshire (even though those states moved their events up anyway).

Here's my question: Florida voters were robbed by the Republicans in 2000. Do Obama and his supporters REALLY believe that Florida voters will support the Democrats in November if the Democrats rob them in August?

Democrats are suicidal if they don't find a way to count Florida and Michigan. And Obama supporters are wearing blinders if they don't think it is relevant that more people have voted for Hillary. That doesn't mean she'll win the nomination... but it does mean that she has a strong base of support and just as much right to campaign as Saint Obama does.

And to the fact checker -- more people have voted for Hillary. That's a fact. You know all the ins and outs of why it may not matter -- but that doesn't make it a lie.

Its called MOVING the goalpost. She cannot catch him in delegates. (She would need wins in ALL 9 states of a 17% margin) So now she wants to talk about the popular vote. She is behind in the popular vote so she wants to include two states that were told that their dlegates would not be sezated and that candidates were told not to campaign there. They BOTH sigend the DNC pledge in August 07. What on Earth is the debate even about. First off the popular vote has nothing to do with anything other than it may sway the superdelegates. It does not pick a nominee. Its yet another example it seems to me that Hillary is willing to say or do anything to win. Her odds are staggering at this point. She is clinging to the last hope she has. That she can cut the delegate lead to under a hundred and the popular vote to under 50 thousand. What she seems unwilling to address is that by the time we get to the convention she may very well need over 80% of the superdelegates. What will she propose then? A pie eating contest? This popular vote assertion is loony. Not only the math but the meaning in general. In case anyone has forgotten. THE PLEDGE

http://www.iowademocrats.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/1097190/pid/315102

http://www.fladems.com/page/-/documents/THREE_pledge_versions.pdf

ONE nose? Seems a little skimpy for knowingly using people's unfamiliarity with the voting process in Fla and Mich to make misleading claims...Didn't you award Obama 3 or 4 noses for accurately quoting an incorrect statement made by some other candidate a while back...? (Foggy on the details, sorry. If I think of it I'll chime back in...)

Your 2 Pinocchio standard: Significant omissions and/or exaggerations. Some factual error may be involved but not necessarily. A politician can create a false, misleading impression by playing with words and using legalistic language that means little to ordinary people.

She omitted the asterisked comments in all public speeches. She played with words and used legalistic language meaning little to ordinary people when she talks about "votes among all people who have voted" and other such twists of phrasing. If she had nothing to hid behind, she would clearly be stating that she was ahead in the really popular vote. Finally, she is not counting those who cast ballots in caucuses so the "all people who have voted" line is disingenuous at best.

Should be 2!!

If the media and Obama supporters can use the irrelevant popular votes to strengthen their case, why shouldn't Clinton and her partisans? It is a terrible decision to deprive primary voters in Florida (and Michigan) of their delegates--the Democratic leadership had to find a solution. I find nothing wrong with Clinton mentioning that her victorious margins in those states give her the lead in popular votes.
For more on this, read:
http://www.reflectivepundit.com

d55may - You are an idiot!

It is very to see how democrats are fighting over the wonderful candidates. I do not understand why people become so passionate they can not think straight and analyze things. I truly admire Hillary for her tenacity.We deserve somebody like that in the white house. Obama on the other is a smart good speaker, but people wake up the guy showed last week that he can't work under pressure, those questions were necessary.Instead of trying to demean the candidates. why don't we encourage the democratic party put them together in the general election in order to beat Jhon McCain. God knows we do not need another republican in the white house. Obama's supporters please open your eyes, stop being passionate and complaining about reporters being too hard on him. he is not running for congress.
Politicians are liar you think they tell you the truth all the time and also they do not make things up or exagerated.

So now I know this site is garbage just like all the rest of the media's 'objective' reporting. Unbelievable!

Winning by 9% is not a "trouncing" - Hillary needed to win by 15% to 20% for the superdelegates to even think about taking a "second" look at her. Also, Hillary deserved 4 Pinochio's for her flat out "distortion" of the facts regarding the popular vote.

Information for Obama voters. He will not win another primary. He showed how immature He really is by giving Hillary the finger. His past has caught up with him, and is not electable in November.There's 26% of us that will switch partys, and another 19% who won't even vote in November.When McCain gets in He will have to reinstall the draft. Who does this affect, the young and the black, the same people that comprises Obama's base. God bless America.

Dear d55may:

You must have an awful lot of free time. Fishing is a useful hobby - except for the fish.

Paul H

Re Feast or Famine:
"Its called MOVING the goalpost. She cannot catch him in delegates. "

Obama's campaign has done a tremendous job of spinning, but the fact remains that Obama also can NOT win enough delegates to lock in the nomination. Either one will need super delegates to push them over the top. And, when superdelegates decide, there is no rule that says they have to go by who is ahead in pledged delegates. Technically, they could decide based on their horoscope, but, even if we agree that the will of the people should prevail -- what better reflects the will of the people? Delegates? Or number of real people who cast votes? Sorry, but I think that can (and will) be debated.

Everyone needs to chill. Let the process run its course. Hillary and Obama BOTH have every right to fight to the finish, and should. This race is BOOSTING Democratic registration and allowing every state to participate is energizing Democrats, building grassroots and GOTV operations, and keeping the attention on the Democrats. Are they both getting bloodied in the process? Absolutely. Do you really think they would be LESS bloodied if one of them was fighting directly with the Republicans right now? That's a pipe dream. We ain't see nothing yet...

d55may has learned to cut and paste. She will be allowed to graduate from kindergarten this spring.

So the bad acts of every con-man from the same state as a candidate, who tried to curry favor with that candidate by making a campaign contribution now has their acts attributed to that candidate.

WOW. Shades of Joe McCarthy.

You have just gazed at the work of the republican slime machine. I wonder when the other Hsu will drop.

Have your well paid friend look up McCain and the Keating 5.

Why take a chance making the acquaintance of moneyed people when you can marry one. By the way, McCain needs to reveal his wife's tax info because AZ is a community property state.

Oh, and where are his medical reports that he promised? McCain's Father died at 70. McCain is now 72. Do you think he will survive till November?

RE: Baffled in Virginia

YES you are so RIGHT! It IS the supers that will settle things. NOT the poular vote. You DO realize that by the time the convention comes Hillary might need as much as 80% of the supers to get the Nom? Its called MATH. Not trying to be mean but the math doesnt lie.

In order for Hillary to win the nomination she MUST win ALL the remaining 9 states by a margin of at least 17-19 percentage points (67-69%) and then she must win 64% of the superdelegates. All this talk back and forth cannot change the math. Hillary's efforts to get the nomination will be an exhaustive uphill battle. Before all you Hillary folks start to jump down my throat you should know I LOVE Hillary. I am constantly pleading for unity within the Dem party. I do not have a bias. What I have is a calculator, and a willingness to add things up the way they are, not the way I want them to be. Ironically Hillary's win in PA actually HURTS Hillary in more ways than one. (Kudos though for winning it!) First off it leaves only 9 contests to cut the margin. A 14% point win in PA wasnt merely one of expectation but more of necessity. Failing to reach the margin of 14% now changes her margin for the rest of the contests. In fact the change is rather drastic. As of Tuesday April 22nd she needed 14% wins in ALL states left. Now she needs 17-19% point wins. Use this delegate calculator below and do the math yourself. Adjust the slider to 67-69% wins from here on out and see what you get. The magic number of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination is 2,025 out of 4,049 total number of delegates. If the race stays remotely the same as it is now, Hillary will be in the hole by 23% in superdelegates, plus she would need the 51% margin of those superdelegates for victory. That means Hillary would need 74% of all the superdelegates. As I stated, big big wins are needed in ALL 9 contests from here on out. Otherwise she cannot catch him with the superdelegates. Again crunch the numbers with the delegate calculator below.
The delegate count used is the same as MSNBC and CNN
http://www.slate.com//id/2185278/

Poor job, Fact Checker

Since when is it "fact-checking" to quote "the more generally accepted measure". So popular vote means what is generally accepted as popular vote and that's the fact? Ha!

Secondly, fact-checking assumes not omitting relevant aspects: Obama pulled by himself his name from the MI ballot! Imagine somebody not knowing anything about the situation reading somthing like "In the case of Michigan, Obama's name was not even on the ballot, so he won precisely zero votes."

Finally, the popular vote debate is exactly about what PV means: HRC camp simply says that right now there are simply more people in America that pulled the lever or stood in caucuses for her, aside from every delegate count.

Btw, it is false that "results of both the Florida and Michigan primaries (..) were ruled invalid by the Democratic National Committee". It's not the results that were deemed invalid, the delegates were stripped, which is an entirely different matter. The results are as valid as any other election

DNC and elected officials will not go away from FL and MI issue.
They wanted very much Obama to get the lead big enough to make it possible to ignore both states.
He fails.
DNC and superdelegates feel completely lost: they are terrified by prospect of Obama losing to McCain. And they don't feel strong enough to make re-vote in both states.
Pathetic!

As far as I am aware of Michigan and Florida are still part of the United States. Has anyone heard anything different, did I miss a secession? I have been busy.

vanitsky....
DNC and elected officials will not go away from FL and MI issue.
They wanted very much Obama to get the lead big enough to make it possible to ignore both states.
He fails.
DNC and superdelegates feel completely lost: they are terrified by prospect of Obama losing to McCain. And they don't feel strong enough to make re-vote in both states.
Pathetic!
-----------------------
Dont know if you hear but a revote was rejected by each state. They didnt have the time, money or rescources to revote. Not to mention that BOTH Hillary and Obama signed a pledge not to campaign there and that those delegates would not be seated if they moved up their primaries. Also notable is depsite all this Obama has said "I will respect and participate in any compromise the DNC deems fair"
As for you electability theory with regards to OBama versus McSame...

OOPS!
Obama versus McCain in the Electoral college.....
SurveyUSA interviewed 600 registered voters in each of the 50 states. A total of 30,000 interviews were completed. If John McCain faces Barack Obama, Obama wins 280 to 256. McCain carries 26 states. Obama carries 24 states plus the District of Columbia ... and then there is Nebraska, which divides its electoral votes based on which candidate wins each of the state's congressional districts. McCain wins Nebraska 45% to 42%, but loses in two of the state's three congressional districts, which results in Barack Obama taking two of Nebraska's five electoral votes.
Not to mention Obama has consistantly polled better than Hillary in head to head matchups nationally.
http://www.surveyusa.com/index.php/2008/03/06/electoral-math-as-of-030608-obama-280-mccain-258/

She and Bill Clinton are pathological liars. Period.

The brass of the woman just amazes! To think I used to admire her..one of my generation. How can she say those votes are "hers" when all the candidates weren't on the ballot (remember, there were several candidates then) and no campaigned? No one even knew much about Obama then, but she was already well known..the prom queen to his new kid in school! Of course, without another choice, voters would vote for her! What a sham! Whatever happens, she lies, cheats and steals her way into some new reality! She's winning when she's losing, baiting Obama on Wright but says nothing about Hagee or Parsely, she's anti-free trade when she's bucking to double the number of foreign worker visas that go to her Indian "Bangalore Buddies", she wants universal health care when her supporters in Congress say it's not really gonna happen! After Richard Mellon Scaife formally endorsed her, I'd have to wonder if Hillary Clinton(D) is really Hillary Clinton(R)? Her tactics are straight out of Rove's Rules, she now wants to "obliterate" Iran, she and Bill are raking in the millions from the Outsource/Offshore industry, she's all chummy with Rupert Murdoch and thinks McStrangelove is CIC material? Makes you question where that ten million miraculously came from yesterday..did she make some kind of deal with Scaife? The Republicans will help bankroll winning the nomination, if she takes a fall in the fall? Maybe John has agreed to some plum position in his administration for her..his token "across the aisle" appointment? I just can't trust her anymore. I find myself wondering now about every word she says and every action she takes. It's a shame.

I agree with Hillary. Those voters have voted and will also vote for Presidency. Two more states which Obama lost and will lose. Obama, the DNC and Howard Dean do not need to count the votes in Michigan and Florida, but the American People and the People in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia all do. Strange how Obama advocates change, but then when Michigan and Florida Democrats change the date of their primaries he, the DNC and Howard Dean Nuke it. Hypocrites at the highest level. The DNC, Howard Dean and Obama are not representative of the American People. Every vote should count, so Hillary is doing what anyone who BELIEVES in True Democracy and CHANGE. Michigan and Florida are ACTING, Changing, while Obama only talks about it and then does his best to prevent other people's changes from being recognized. Again a FIRST Class Hypocrite. One of the main reasons for Hillary doing so well is that people see this, along with his elitist attitudes. Change, buy on MY, Obama's Changes!!

that does it, I cannot vote for HC if she 'wins' the nomination. To say that she won more popular votes based on a state in which Obama wasn't even on the ballot is ludicrous, and confusing to people who see only that statement. Why should anyone vote for such a liar.

Posted by: Karl
I agree with Hillary. Those voters have voted and will also vote for Presidency. Two more states which Obama lost and will lose. Obama, the DNC and Howard Dean do not need to count the votes in Michigan and Florida, but the American People and the People in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia all do. Strange how Obama advocates change, but then when Michigan and Florida Democrats change the date of their primaries he, the DNC and Howard Dean Nuke it. Hypocrites at the highest level. The DNC, Howard Dean and Obama are not representative of the American People. Every vote should count, so Hillary is doing what anyone who BELIEVES in True Democracy and CHANGE. Michigan and Florida are ACTING, Changing, while Obama only talks about it and then does his best to prevent other people's changes from being recognized. Again a FIRST Class Hypocrite. One of the main reasons for Hillary doing so well is that people see this, along with his elitist attitudes. Change, buy on MY, Obama's Changes!!

Hypoctite? HOW about SIGNING A PLEDGE? A contract that those delegates would not be seated and that no campaiging would go on there? ALL Dem candidates signed the pledge. Hypocricy is after signing a contract, giving you word on the rules that then you can turn around with a straight face and ingnore your own promise, your own pledge. PLEASE. I LOVE Hillary but are you aware of the pledge? Does it even matter to you? Is Hillarys word no good?

http://www.iowademocrats.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/1097190/pid/315102

http://www.fladems.com/page/-/documents/THREE_pledge_versions.pdf

Michael--

Your column/blog is a great national service.

Having said that, I think this really merits a couple of Pinocchios.

Also, thank you for noting that the final margin in Pennsylvania was actually closer to 9 percent, although this seems to have been largely ignored by the media, including your own editorial board (and various journalists) in Thursday's paper, even though the information was available by Wednesday morning.

Senator Clinton will win the nomination and no one can cry foul. The super delegates must do their job and that is to support that candidate that can win in November and like it or not that candidate is Clinton. She is supremely more qualified then the rookie from Illinois and she can win the big states. She has held him off because the people can see that he is nothing more then a lying hypocrite. It is time to vote smart and vote Clinton.

Truth is truth, and math does not lie. In order for Hillary to win the nomination she MUST win ALL the remaining 9 states by a margin of at least 17-19 percentage points (67-69%) and then she must win 64% of the