Obama's Abramoff

UPDATE: Also Chicago Sun Times columnist Michael Sneed this morning--Obama toasted Auchi at the Rezko party at his Wilmette house--the event Obama told no one about until it was revealed by Stuart Levine the other day at the trial. Picked up by the Instapundit.
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Was rushing around this morning so missed this. Hugh Hewitt on the journalistic malpractice of the WaPo's Fact Checker that omits the house deal shenanigans, as we say in Chicago:

Rezko is Obama's Abramoff, but MSM is blocking for Obama, as this "fact-checker" column demonstrates.

No mention of Rezko in tonight's debate, so far. They did the FOB, Friends of Barack stuff up front--quite a haul though--the remarks to the San Francisco billionaires, the Rev. Wright, and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers.

And this is a good recent background interview, YouTube, on Obama's record (or more accurately lack of one) in Illinois from a former fellow legislator, a senior Republican member, Sen. Steve Rauschenberger.

UPDATE: TWS, The Blog:

Obama's San Francisco misstep will lend credence to a whole new line of attacks: elitist, untested, and slick. The ongoing Rezko trial could do more damage -- particularly if evidence emerges that Obama has a connection to Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi that he has not yet acknowledged. Even if the primary is too far along to allow Senator Clinton to secure the Democratic nomination, McCain will be able to take advantage of it in the general election.

And from the NY Times story of the other day, so they are also doing a little poking around:

Former business associates of Mr. Rezko say Illinois newspapers had raised enough questions about Mr. Rezko’s influence in state government by 2005 that Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago told them he would not approve city-related financing for part of the real estate project if Mr. Rezko was involved. They said that decision came a month or two before the Obamas closed on their house and Mr. Rezko bought the adjacent lot.

Prosecutors in Mr. Rezko’s case have said that Mr. Rezko asked Illinois officials to help obtain a visa for Mr. Auchi’s visit to Chicago. The officials have not been identified, and Mr. Obama’s campaign has said he was not involved in that effort.