Obama All Over

Barack Obama is all over the news today, and most of it's not good. Is it all over for Obama? Most probably not for the Democrat primary, but he's in trouble for the general.

Last night I wrote about the breaking news on the Tony Rezko trial, Obama for the first time placed at a party at Rezko's house in Wilmette in the company of billionaire British-Iraqi financier Nadhmi Auchi. Auchi is an alleged tool in the UN/Saddam Hussein oil for food scandal and was in Chicago to discuss a huge real estate deal in the South Loop that Rezko was putting together.

There were lots of Illinois Dem luminaries at that party, but it took Stuart Levine to reveal at the Rezko trial that Sen. Hope Himself--the post-political presidential candidate without peer, most especially in his own estimation--graced the well-heeled gathering with his presence.

We didn't hear about this from Sen. Ethics, Sen. Transparency, Sen. Cling to the Rev. Wright and his wrong-headed, hate-filled rants, Sen. Judgment--no! Tribune this morning:

Just weeks after winning the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in 2004, Barack Obama was the guest of developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko at a party for a controversial British billionaire whom Rezko was trying to lure into an investment, a witness testified Monday at Rezko's corruption trial.

(Auchi is appealing his fraud conviction in France. For working with Saddam Hussein in the UN Oil for Food scandal to bribe public officials.)

Though not flatly disputing Levine's assertion, Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt repeated what the senator has said: "Sen. Obama does not recall meeting Nadhmi Auchi at any time or on any occasion, and this includes any event that may have been held for Mr. Auchi," LaBolt said.

In his March interview with the Tribune, which was supposed to lay all these pesky questions to rest, Obama described the now radioactive Rezko as a not too close friend. More:

Otherwise, Obama said he and Rezko met for breakfast or lunch infrequently, dined once in Chicago with their spouses, and got together another time with their wives in Lake Geneva, Wis., where Rezko owned a home. Aside from the fundraiser, no mention was made of any other get-together at Rezko's home.

Levine testified that he was at the Auchi party and saw the Obamas there as well as other political luminaries, including Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and various cabinet officials in the Blagojevich administration.

Obama doesn't recall that, yet earlier that same evening he dropped by the Four Seasons presumably also at Rezko's request, a meeting he admitted to, though he says he doesn't remember Auchi. Here's how one witness described that:

"It was a very innocuous, almost serendipitous, ad hoc thing," Chicago real estate lawyer Anthony Licata, who was also there, told the Tribune. "Barack happened to be in the same building at a campaign event that night, and he stopped by to say hello. I'm not even sure he knew who those guys were."

But if Levine's contention is correct, Obama was back at another Rezko event tied to the Roosevelt Road investment a few weeks later, this time as the freshly minted Democratic Senate nominee riding a crest of national publicity.

Auchi came to the rescue as Rezko's business ventures began to crumble and his legal troubles mounted in recent years.

And he also gave Rezko a huge cash infusion right before Rezko's wife bought the Hyde Park lot next to Obama's on the same day he bought his--just innocuously, almost, just almost serendipitously.

UPDATE: As more dates keep coming up, here's the detail from the Kankakee paper I cited last night:

Auchi did visit the United States in 2004. Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn headed a welcoming delegation that greeted Auchi when his private plane touched down at Chicago's Midway Airport.

"We talked mainly about the late King Hussein of Jordan and Queen Noor," recalled Quinn, who rode downtown with Auchi and his family. He said he later attended a party for Auchi held at Rezko's home.

Auchi was the guest of honor at a lavish dinner party thrown by Rezko at the Four Seasons Hotel. Blagojevich was on hand for the festivities and posed for photos with the visiting tycoon.

"He has not met with or talked to Mr. Auchi since then," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said.

Obama, whose presidential run has been bedeviled by his relationship with Rezko, has said he attended a Rezko party at the Four Seasons but doesn't remember meeting Auchi. It isn't clear it was the same party.

"Tony called and asked if I could stop by because he had a number of friends that he had invited to dinner and he wanted me to meet them," Obama told the Chicago Sun-Times last month. "I remember meeting a bunch of people who I had not met before. I frankly don't remember what their names were. Business was not discussed at the meeting."

Tribune, same story as above:

A published report last year highlighted a small private dinner Rezko hosted in February of that year at Chicago's Four Seasons Hotel for two bankers from Qatar. Obama, then in the thick of his Democratic primary race for the Senate, took a brief detour from the campaign to pop in on the event.

There may have been even more meetings with Auchi. What dates? Sun Times:

Levine testified Rezko had to leave Mexico early to host Auchi. So Levine chartered a private jet to fly Rezko's wife and children -- as well as his own family -- back to Chicago on April 3, 2004.

That night, Levine testified, he attended the reception, which was arranged to interest Auchi in investing in Illinois.

Gov. Blagojevich hosted a separate dinner party for Auchi two days earlier, at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Chicago, the Sun-Times has reported.

So there was a time lag of two days between the Four Seasons affair and the Rezko reception at his home. Surely the reception would have been even more memorable? Yet Obama disclosed at least one of the Four Seasons meetings but not the Rezko reception for Auchi--who was the guest of honor. And presumably Obama was much feted as well, given his recent win in the Senate primary. Hard to believe they didn't meet and talk. Earlier Times of London story, where Mr. Auchi resides:

Mr Auchi visited the United States in 2004. Pictures show him meeting Emil Jones, the president of the Illinois state senate, an ally of Mr Obama, a former state senator.

Both Mr Auchi and Mr Obama say they have no memory of meeting each other. But, according to a source, the two may have had a brief encounter at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago where Mr Auchi’s visit was being honoured with a dinner attended by the Governor when Mr Obama, coincidentally in the hotel, dropped in.

An aide to Mr Obama said he did attend an event at the Four Seasons at which Mr Rezko was present but does not remember meeting Mr Auchi. "He shook a lot of hands and met a lot of people," the aide said. "We do not remember individual people."