Trial Will Reveal 'Cesspool' of Obama's Allies

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With the corruption trial of one of Sen. Barack Obama's longtime friends and
supporters set to begin Monday in Chicago, Ill., reform watchdogs say it
will reveal the "cesspool" of Illinois politics in which Obama came of age
and has said little about in his campaign for president.

"We have a sick political culture," said Jay Stewart, the executive director
of the Chicago Better Government Association, "and that's the environment
that Barack Obama came from."

Stewart says he does not understand why Obama has lectured others about
corruption in Washington and Kenya but "been noticeably silent on the issue
of corruption here in his home state, including at this point, mostly
Democratic politicians."

There was no immediate comment from the Obama campaign.

The trial Monday involves federal charges of bribery and extortion against
Tony Rezko, a real estate developer who became known in Illinois politics as
a behind-the-scenes operator and fixer.

While Obama is not considered a target of the Rezko investigation, Stewart
says it will shed light on a man who was pivotal to Obama's political
career.

"This wasn't just some guy who wrote a check once for Barack Obama, it's
someone who was an early supporter and had a personal relationship with Sen.
Obama for quite some time," Stewart said.

Indeed, even after he was elected to the United States Senate, Obama
involved Rezko in a land deal that enabled the senator to buy his current
home on Chicago's South Side.

Obama has since called his decision to involve Rezko "a bone-headed
mistake."

"Tony Rezko is all that is wrong with the old kind of politics or any kind
of politics," said the Better Government Association's Stewart.

The Rezko trial will focus on Rezko's alleged role in steering Illinois
state contracts in exchange for kickbacks and political contributions to
Rezko friends.

The most damning examples cited by prosecutors involve Illinois Gov. Rod
Blagojevich, but several of the contributions were directed to Obama's 2004
Senate campaign.


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