CHICAGO TRIBUNE:
For all his talk about change, Obama remains a product of a Chicago and Illinois political culture renowned for corruption and filled with characters who range from felonious to just outrageous.
...In underscoring his change theme, he made the deliberate decision in 2007 to base his campaign in Chicago, not Washington. And word spread recently that Obama is moving key elements of the Democratic National Committee's operations to the city. Even so, some supporters acknowledge that voters in states such as Ohio, Missouri or Pennsylvania may find it hard to relate to someone steeped in the Chicago political way.
... Indeed, the most damaging controversies of Obama's presidential bid have been rooted in Chicago, where he is hardly alone among mainstream politicians in cozying up to controversial ministers like Jeremiah Wright Jr. and Michael Pfleger, fundraisers like Antoin "Tony" Rezko and even former radicals like William Ayers. Republicans already are seeking to exploit Obama's once-chummy and politically beneficial relationship with Rezko, the influential developer convicted this month on federal corruption charges for misusing clout. Obama had nothing to do with the case, but his name still came up during the trial.
Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant said Obama's ties to a long list of Chicago politicians are ripe for attack. "It undermines his campaign's message that he represents something new," he said.
Obama's status as a Chicago politician carries with it risks, said James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University in Washington. "It is the place to learn about politics, but it is also a running joke about the machines of the past. That can hurt him."
- THE CHICAGO MACHINE IS AS CORRUPT AS THEY COME.
- AND THE MACHINE MADE OBAMA.
- AND OWNS HIS ASS.
MORE HERE AND HERE.
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