"Illinois Combine" "What do you call that Illinois political class" Fitzgerald said.

Saturday, March 22, 2008
One-degree of separation: Obama and the "Illinois Combine"
In his Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, column, the Chicago Tribune's John Kass provided clear insight into the Chicago machine being exposed through the federal fraud trial of indicted political fixer Antoin "Tony" Rezko. Kass began thusly:

All week, Stuart Levine, the Republican snitch who loves his gladiator movies, has been telling the story of Illinois.

He tells it from the witness stand in federal court, weaving the tale of this political boss and that political boss, that Democrat, this Republican, all working together for the common good.

He means, the good stuff in their wallets.
Kass asked "what do we call this relationship, again? This Illinois custom of quiet sharing of power across party lines for the benefit of a fat connected few?

"What is it? What is it, again?"

Stating that Levine's testimony is "putting things together for the prosecution", Kass remarked "That's the narrow focus. ... Actually, he's telling a larger tale, about power and clout in our state."

Kass turned to former Illinois U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald for wisdom:
"What do you call that Illinois political class that's not committed to any party, they simply want to make money off the taxpayers?" Fitzgerald said. "You know what to call them."

What?

"The Illinois Combine," Fitzgerald said. "The bipartisan Illinois political combine. And all these guys being mentioned, they're part of it."
And who are "these guys being mentioned"?, RezkoWatch asks.

Well, quite simply put, most of them have been connected in one way or the other with 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama dating to at least 1995 when he ran for the Illinois State Senate. They have been—and some still are—colleagues, campaign contributors, and fellow travelers along Obama's meteoric rise in both Illinois and national politics, a veritable "who's who" of the "Illinois Combine".

Many of their names have appeared in indictments and on witness lists connected with Rezko's trial. Others, like Iraqi-British billionaire businessman and former Rezko partner, Nadhmi Auchi, are found in court documents. Although accused of no crimes, these names consistently reappear connected with that of Rezko—and Obama. Other names are yet destined to appear in future legal proceedings against Rezko.

Keep in mind what Dan Morain wrote in the September 8, 2007, Los Angeles Times:
"Now, promoting himself as a fresh face on the national political stage, proclaiming his distance from lobbyists and the Washington culture of special interests, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has to contend with his own history. ... From Chicago to Springfield, his past is filled with decidedly old-school political tactics -- a history of befriending powerful local elders, assisting benefactors and special interests, and neutralizing rivals."
Oh, yes, and did we mention, Obama's name also appears on the witness list for the current trial, making his one more in what former Illinois U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald called the "Illinois Combine".

((New details everyday "O" people. And no, O is for Ostrich. wink. Your denial is...sad.))

you know the link. :)

r yeah.

The prosecutor is after both republicans and democrats in the corrupt underbellies of Chicago.

But I do love it when you Obama supporters show off exactly how uninformed you keep yourselves.

not one word about barack. The focus has been on Rezko, the governor, a vile former aldercritter named Vrodolyak (spell that backwards three times) and how Stu Levine loved bribes and power.

Levine will be taking down GOPers and Dems alike, and none of them will be named Obama.

Any politician has to wade in muddy waters to get anywhere.

But compared to the mud in the Clinton's water, Obama's has a low trace element of pollution.

He represents change no more than Hillary, only he's not Hillary. He's very, very pliable.

Telling that the author called former Senator Fitzgerald for comments, the senate seat that Obama now holds. Rumors abound that Fitzgerald did not run for another term because of pressure from this very same 'political combine'.

Perhaps this adds weight to the other sad rumor that Obama has some deeper unrevealed political connection? :tinfoilhat:

I think I can do Rezko in 3.

Obama was the Democratic nominee for US Senate and a State Senator. That means the people who donate to every major Democratic campaign also donated to Obama. That's all they've got on him and that's no evidence that he was part of the "combine."

Did Obama improperly help someone get a job, appointment or contract? If that is discovered then you've got a story. Until then he isn't guilty of anything other than winning elected office in Illinois.

This is nothing but spin and slime from the Republican rag that endorsed Bush twice.

Twice so far.

Do you know how many times Hillary has been mentioned in court? You can bring anyones name up in court for any reason at all. They could bring up your name or mine in court. That doesn't mean we did anything wrong.

Instead of dropping a week allegation why don't you finish it? Tell us why his name was brought up in court and why you think it proves Obama did something wrong. Go ahead. Back it up.

Rezko donated to EVERYONE. Many donors do. Obama is guilty of nothing but getting elected to a statewide office in Illinois.

:rofl:

This will sink your candidate though.

But keep trying to make this smear stick...

This witness on the stand's testimony is "putting things together for the prosecution".

Nothing?

OK... then it's a smear.

However, Rezko's lawyer has brought up Obama's name twice. So far.

Discussing the true fact that Obama's name has been brought up by Rezko is not a smear.

OK... THANKS. We can end his conversation, then.

> refreshing that he's painting all this as bipartisan instead of dumping it all on the Democrats (which of course should suggest to us that it's mostly a Repub scandal or Kass/Tribune wouldn't toss us a bone).

dropped on you doorway.

Those are just WMD theories.

both the Ken Starr "Star Chamber" against the Clintons, this, the Elliot Spitzer take-down, the Seigelman case and other telling events, in a global corporate predator-designed political system to deny the American people any representation of our interests in government. It starts with the requirement of raising millions of dollars just to run for 'dog catcher,' and pushing half a billion now to run for president--blood payments that roll into the pockets of war profiteering corporate news monopolies for political ads, and that compromise, cheapen and exhaust political candidates going in, and it extends to the 'mobius strip' of insular fascist power, that includes control over all imagery, news and opinion in the country, war profiteers and other predators not just lobbying and 'influencing' office holders, but writing our laws, picking our candidates and literally installing them in power, by means of voting systems run on trade secret, proprietary programming code, owned and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations.

This creates a system in which it is simply not possible to run for president without a "machine" behind you, and without making compromises and deals all along the way, any one of which can be picked apart to find some item with which to blackmail, bully, terrify and, when necessary, destroy any person who threatens to represent, and act for, any interest of the American people as opposed to interests of global corporate predators. With the Clintons, I think they did it--harassed them with "Whitewater" and Bill's sexual wanderings--to prevent the Clintons' more liberal instincts resulting in any benefit to the poor and middle class from the federal surplus. The war profiteers and corporate predators intended to loot that surplus--and massively loot the future as well--for themselves (a phenomenon parallel to the California state budget surplus looted by Enron--only much, much bigger). The fuckheads who are running things have all kinds of tools with which to control and/or destroy anyone they want to. With Howard Dean, for instance--who seriously threatened the war budget, and the corporate news monopolies--it was the doctored "scream" tape. With John Kerry, it was a combo of the "swift-boaters," CBS execs' suppression of Dan Rather's reports, and the "trade secret" code voting machines.

And now that they've had their fascist front men in the White House for eight years, dismantling the Constitution, these global power lords have massive spying capabilities, for digging out the tidbits with which to smear people, or blackmail and control them, and are selectively feeding this information to the Bush-purged FBI, friendly or career-interested prosecutors, and handpicked Rovian U.S. Attorneys, to create corporate news monopoly headlines with, bring charges before Bush-appointed judges, and--if they can get away with it--to put a Democratic governor in jail on cooked evidence.

I don't think you have a grasp of how much we are being played--how mindbogglingly foul it all is, and what its purpose is. You don't know how destructive you are being of your own interests--and those of the rest of us--when you giggle over Barack Obama's "political combine," and seem to relish the prospect that he might be taken down by this case. I hardly ever agreed with Bill Clinton on anything. (I'm an FDR Democrat.) But I could see perfectly well who Ken Starr is, and what the purpose of that inquisition was. And now, it's worse--far, far worse. The spying and political abuse of the justice system, the hypocritical posturing of the fascists who control this power--who are stealing TRILLIONS of dollars, and mass murdering millions of people to get their oil--are far worse, and the corporate media is worse.

As with Spitzer, whose sex life was of no concern to me (I think prostitution should be legalized anyway--it's a phony, police state boondoggle 'crime'), and has absolutely nothing to do with his value as a public servant (Spitzer, for instance, advocated for our interests against Wall Street)--I have zilch concern about, and no interest in, the petty money deals in Illinois politics. Our country is going down. There is every indication that Great Depression II is upon us--deliberately induced by the massive looting of these global corporate predators, who have absolutely no loyalty to the people of the United States. Our Constitution has been shredded. Our voting system has been compromised. Our reputation in the world has been destroyed. We have been bankrupted in every way--financially, morally, politically, militarily. That is what I care about. Dirty little deals in Illinois (if they are--no one's been convicted that I know of), petty political squabbles--national or local--the Obama "combine"--all this is nothing. Nothing. Indeed, until we recognize that our entire political establishment is a "combine," and that we are talking about competing "combines"--we are never going to pull out of this frigging Bushite disaster. Because the BIG "combine"--the one that includes the sheiks of Saudi Arabia, and Exxon Mobil, and Halliburton, and DynCorp, and Blackwater, et al--is killing America.

Broaden your view, Indimuse! Pull back! Your glee at Obama's demise will be shared by Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. And we know they are gunning for Hillary Clinton--they've been on that for over a decade. PLEASE get some perspective. And don't believe everything you read. For godssakes, look at the Siegelman case!