Obama, Khalidi, Rezko

Jewish voters in Florida ask Barack Obama about Rashid Khalidi.(My most recent post here.) HT Gateway Pundit. Governor Blagojevich holds a fundraiser despite the glare of the Obama campaign, their shared fundraiser Rezko's trial and the bribery bust at Chicago's City Hall by US Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, who says more is to come. John Kass on the stench emanating from Chicago. And Obama's mentor in the Illinois legislature, Emil Jones, loans himself cash from his campaign fund. Video on Khalidi:

UPDATE: Slightly more balanced Tribune story (than we saw last Sunday) here, "Obama Courts Jewish backing in Florida", though they still refer to Rashid Khalidi as a "Palestinian activist", rather than as a former PLO operative at the time it was classified as a terrorist organization. Obama sounds Clintonian in his remarks,

"Nobody can find any statement that I have ever made that is anything other than unequivocably pro-Israel," he said."

That's quite a challenge. (and uh, Barack--kind of awkward verbiage, hmm? Feeling uncomfortable about something?) And his A plus certified defender Florida Rep. Robert Wexler was a prime Clinton apologist during the Lewinsky episode. Too bad about the blue dress.

UPDATE: Here's a start, an excerpt from a well-documented piece by Ed Lasky, The American Thinker, back in January:

There are media reports that indicate he has "recalibrated his words about Israel and the Middle East" as part of his efforts to court the Jewish vote. So there are grounds for skepticism about relying on canned speeches as a guide towards divining Obama's true views. Obama is a skilled orator; he has shown an adroit ability to hide friendships that might harm him on the campaign trail. Why not also hide his views behind a smokescreen of aphorism and bromides?

I think a more accurate reflection of these feelings and ideas are found in unscripted, off-the cuff remarks. As Michael Kinsley wrote, a "gaffe is a mistaken utterance or action which actually reveals what a politician truly believes". Obama has a record of off the cuff remarks that are disconcerting. There is, of course, his well-known remark in Des Moines that "Nobody has suffered more than the Palestinian people" (which sounds like Pastor Wright is being channeled) that created controversy. He later tried to revise history by insisting he had said "Nobody has suffered more than the Palestinian people from the failure of the Palestinian leadership". However, the well-respected Fact.Check.org and the Des Moines Register newspaper (which has an audio record) dispute Obama's "redo".

There's more.

Just found this:) Peter Wehner, NRO "Barack Clinton Obama":

Obama repeatedly speaks about the corrupting influence lobbyists have on politicians — yet he seems rather less vocal about his close association with Antoin “Tony” Rezko, who is on trial on 24 counts of corruption. Rezko was among the first people to support Obama’s maiden campaign, was a key fundraiser for all of Obama’s campaigns, and Rezko and his wife helped the Obamas buy their house by purchasing the lot next door.

Plus a few more pointed remarks...

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