Chicago East?

Not since the Clinton Administration in the 1990’s has the swirling breeze of corruption blown like on a wind of a California wildfire. One of the characteristics of Chicago machine politics for the past century or so has been corruption. The buying and selling of nearly anything seems to be the backbone of business as usual in the windy city.

All indications around Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich created a smoke signal for the rest of the country to see. The often hidden back room dealing so typical of Chicago has been exposed. It is not like the country didn’t know about it. It gets mentioned as a by word and a chuckle of “the late Mayor Richard Daley era. His spirit is still alive and Blagojevich is apparently a practitioner.

Whether his web of malfeasance extends to Illinois star son, President Elect Obama remains to be seen. The prosecutor in the case Patrick Fitzgerald of “Valerie Plame/Skooter Libby” fame has stated this complaint about the current Governor has nothing to do with Obama. Unfortunately, it is a de je vu of the Clintonian scandal ridden 90’s.

Kicked to the curb gladly Clinton left office with a pardon de jur stick in the eye to all Americans, so the country was happy to be rid of him. A press weary populace hoped to breathe a sigh of relief when the 2000 election was cast.

Obama’s star illumination is almost as bright as Abraham Lincoln (and the man has yet to accomplish anything). There are already coins with his image being bought and sold. Again the only thing that he has accomplished is being black, and he had little choice in that matter. You can rest assured that if there are any questions in Chicago about its politicians, its machine, and its corruption, it will be irresistible not to have reporters trying to tie it to the President Elect over the next term. If you thought you were corruption weary, get ready for round two.

Obama, like President Reagan so far has displayed his Teflon exterior. His associations with domestic terrorists, racist and anti- Semitic preachers have yet to stick to him. The Supreme Court won’t hear a case that the President Elect might not even be a U.S. citizen. Could we expect that there is no underlying backroom connection between Governor Blagojevich’s rant about selling Obama’s former Senate seat and his arrest? Political payback? Iron fist rule from a man not yet even in the White House or just a Governor gone bad and finked-on by the “pinched” party? History will tell the tale. It doesn’t really matter, but you can count about half a dozen potential scandals that could intersect with the Obama, and he has not even taken the oath of the Presidential office yet. The next four years should prove entertaining; just like a Clinton Administration rerun. Okay fore the pocketbook, but hell on ethics. Unless you are from Chicago; then it is just business as usual.