Its clear Obama has not surrounded himself by the best crowd, including Rezko.  To say Obama made an illegal business deal is false....but for the average person to firmly believe that anything Rezko did was legit, including his deal with Obama, is hard to swallow.

Thank you for admitting that Hannity and Morris are lying, Columbus.  The average American should be able to figure out that Obama did nothing wrong, correct?  If so, present them with the facts and let them decide.

I appreciate your candor regarding Hannity and Morris.

 

I just call em like I see em.  Its hard to swallow that any politician, including Obama & McCain, are honest business people....and I'm still not buying it.  However, in cases like this, just being close to someone of Rezko's stature is going to damage your reputation just as much as if you really did do something.  Obama surrounding himself with people like Wright, Pflegler, Rezko, Ayers, etc is damaging him, but we all have to pay the price for the people we surround ourselves with.

Ayers and the priest are loose associations at best.  McCain's co-chair in Florida was arrested for soliciting a prostitute, but apparently, that's not news anymore.  A priest who mocks Hillary seems to be bigger trouble eh?  No worries about the lobbyists who were on McCain's staff who lobbied for Burma?  Why aren't we hearing about Rick Renzi and his 35-count indictment?

Got any people involved in Obama's campaign with similar rap sheets?

Bottom line for this information is Hannity and Morris are lying!

You can't expect the media to be the peoples window of judgement.  IMO, partisan politics, and information spinning on both ends of the actual politicans, is worse than media misinformation.

If anyone can honestly say they watch television, or read an article, or even listen to a politician whether it be Pelosi or Gingrich and believe all the jibber-jabber that spew out of their mouths...then that person deserves to be misinformed.

There is nothing more important than a person who believes in self serving judgement.

Since you were concerned about associations, I thought you might answer my question.

I am concerned with associations.  That tells alot about a persons character and judgement qualities - regardless which way the media spins it.

So, what do you think of McCain's associations?

McCain has an intimate association with a drug addict and thief.

I am concerned with associations.  That tells alot about a persons character and judgement qualities - regardless which way the media spins it.

• - Columbus1492 / Saturday June 7, 2008 8:03:23 AM EDT

I'll bet you have a friend or two who has or has had a substance abuse problem. I bet you have a friend who has stolen something before. I bet you have a friend who has abused their partner verbally or physically. I bet you have done something immoral at least once in your life. I bet you have voted for a person who has done all of the above.

What does this say about you? What types of associations do you have in your life? You need to get some new associates sir. Your present associations might  make you look bad.

I am somewhat surprised that for someone who "calls 'em as I see 'em" would make such a blanket statement like 'Obama surrounds himself" with the people you mention. 

So Please explain how he "surrounded" himself with them? You know links to pictures and articles where they are part of his (for lack of a better word right now) "posse"?

Because simply SAYING it is so, doesn't make it so.

@columbus1492:  You are begging the question by believing the right wingnut propaganda.  You state "Obama surrounding himself with people like Wright, Pflegler, Rezko, Ayers, etc is damaging him, but we all have to pay the price for the people we surround ourselves with."

Sen. Obama is not "surrounding" himself with Pflegler or Ayers.  Those relationships at best are tangenital.  Just because Sheer Insannity says it twice a minute doessn't make it true.  If that were the case we'd be winning in Iraq...

This is the "typical right-wing smear" in action.

No matter how often it's refuted, proven wrong, shown to be a lie, right-wingers still run with it.

Especially since right-wingers like Hannity and the Toe-Sucker have absolutely NOTHING on Obama, so in their desperation they cling to these already proven to be fake smears.

You are exactly right on this and I have made a comment with the facts on the matter.

Soooooooo Mr morris is sucking Hannity's toes now. Gee, he gets around.

I think the story just proves Obama's hope theory.

He and Tony become neighbors by buying houses next door to each other on the same day. The properties that they are interested in have the same owner...one who Obama admitted was anxious to sell and move away.

Tony being the slick and experienced financier can negotiate nothing better than the asking price. While Obama, the young shiny faced neophyte is able to negotiate a price $300,000 less than the asking price...I'm beginning to get the hang of this hope thing.

Flush with success and having a great neighbor, Obama inquires about buying a portion of Tony's lot to expand his own holdings. The appraiser's valued it at $40,000 but being a good neighbor OBama pays Tony $104,000...uh oh...maybe there's something about this hope thing that I'm missing.

Now they need a fence and being the good neighbor, Tony, with his windfall profit on the land sale to Obama agrees to spend $14,000 to build the fence...ok...this hope thing is making sense again.

Finally, good neighbor Obama has his lawn service mow Tony's yard...saying he'll bill Tony but he just hasn't gotten around to it.

Horatio Alger has nothing on the Obama/Rezko good neighbor story...yep...you just have to have hope. 

 

 

Rather than just hang your hat on hope, maybe you should just stick to dealing with facts.  Here are some you convientenly decided to leave out, and others you have wrong.

He and Tony become neighbors by buying houses next door to each other on the same day.  ---- Acutally, Senator Obama bought a house, Tony's wife purchased a plot of land that doesn't have a house on it.  The purchased on the "same day" because that was a condition of sale by the owner that owned both parcels.

Tony being the slick and experienced financier can negotiate nothing better than the asking price. --- Again, it was Tony's wife that bought the plot of land.  And that plot of land had other offers on it as well.  I'm sure you understand basic economics of supply and demand, right?  Since there were multiple offers on the plot of land, it's going to sell for closer to the asking price, maybe even over it.

While Obama, the young shiny faced neophyte is able to negotiate a price $300,000 less than the asking price --- Back to basic economics again, the house, didn't have any other offers on it and had been on the market for some time.  If that's the case, and the seller is motivated, it's easy to get them to come down in price.

Also, listening to your bloviation, you'd think that what Senator Obama and what Tony bought were the same.  In fact, it wasn't even close.  Senator Obama bought a a house for $1.65M (asking price of nearly $2M) and Tony's wife only purchased a plot of land for $625,000.

 

Very well explained SFNOMAD, But I guarandamntee you that the truth of the sale will mean absolutely nothing to those who see only what they want to see, THUS the word 'truthiness has come to explain the way the rightwingers WANT the world to be.

@Wesley:  Negotiating the price of a house on land is a different transaction that negotiating the price of raw land.  It is a rule of thumb that a "home" value is roughtly 25% to 33% the value of the land and the balance (75% to 57%) the value of the structure.

Chances are the seller of the home and adjacent vacant parcel knew the best way to be sure to sell both would be to require they both close at the same time.

In a dynamic market, buyers are almost always ahead of sellers in terms of knowing the current value.  Sheer Insannity's statement that Sen. Obama purchased the home "below market" is just silly for several obvious reasons.  By the way - is this the first example you've seen recently of a home seller reducing the asking price? 

the epitome of dead rhetoric. This will become hannity's mantra for the next...  well. millenium. No matter the topic, Hannity will bring up wright, ayers  rezko like it was a natural part of the discussion. whats the deal with that, when no one really cares anymore. So goes the head of Fox news goes hannity,,,,  I hope!

whats the deal with that, when no one really cares anymore.

The facts are Obama hasn't been around the nationwide political spectrum that long, and people really dont know who he is.  So are people just supposed to believe what he says, or dive into his personal life including his associations to find out who he really is? 

You've memorized the chant well, Columbus. Good boy.

Let me know if I understand this correctly....

Hannity has the derail Clinton thing and now derail Obama thing but when it is mentioned that Sen Mc Bush will just be four more years of Georges' lunacy, Sissy Sean gets his diapers in an uproar and claims that the Dems aren't playing fairly. Sissy Sean that is the first line of correct thinking you've had in many years. You can be sure that ALL Dems will shout from the mountain tops that McBush is Bush. Lying, who gives a DAMN? It is an election you little Sissy, grow up and try to be a man. Not a little spoiled toad behind a microphone who runs away from people like a scared like toddler. And to repeat myself, when Little Dick Morris puts his foot in his mouth, is it considered masturbation?

The Republicans can't seem to win an election on the merits. Once again the are trying to win by lies not on facts. The Obama house purchase is another one of thsoe oldies but goodies. Only an idiot would not be on to the Hannitys and Dick Morrises. Before you comment on issues it wouldn't hurt to google it.

Below you will find a link to the Chicago Tribune's 92 minute discussion with 3 DOZEN Tribune journalists in which Obama answered every ? that was presented to him. The Tribune Editorial Board concluded that " the professional judgment and personal decency with which he has managed himself and his ambition distinguish him." Too bad we can't say the same about Hannity and Morris.

You will also find a letter from the previous owners that state the conditions of the sale in a link on the same page as the article about the Chicago Tribune's about the Obama interview.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0316edit1mar16,0,2616801.story 

Thanx for the info...But what we must all remember is that Mr. Morris has already designated Chicago as one of the most corrupt places in the world. And the Sissy Boy, agrees with him. Do you think Mr. Morris would strut his stuff in Chicago without a microphone in front of him. That would be a pay-per-view special....$49.95..Dick Morris and his Sissy Boy walk through Chicago with a big sign.."CHICAGO IS AS BAD AS IRAQ AND NORTH KOREA". The result would be that everybody moves up two spots on the Faux stupid meter.

I sort of like the Sissy Boy tag. Let us "STOP THE SISSY BOY EXPRESS".

Yeah, but Obama doesn't wear a flag pin and grabs his crotch during the Pledge of Allegiance plus he's a muslim whose going to install a caliphate if elected.  Those are the "issues" the Republicans care about.

Actually, Rezko's purchase of the vacant lot DID allow Obama to buy the house at a discounted price, because the seller wanted BOTH parcels sold.  Obama could not have negotiated the house sale without Rezko's help.

For those of you who think Obama has been transparent, I assure you he has not.  For more than a year the Chicago Tribune repeatedly asked Obama to explain the real estate deal.  Initially Obama said he didn't remember how he met Rezko, didn't remember how they had come to purchase adjacent properties and close on the same day, etc ... but little by little, with pressure from the Tribune, he revealed more details.  Turns out he and Rezko visited the property TOGETHER just prior to the purchase.  And Rezko had been one of Obama's MAJOR political contributors for his state senate campaign.  Reagan had a good excuse fo massive memory lapses, Obama does not.  Smells like a cover up to me. 

Just like the Wright debacle ... is Obama really expecting any of us to believe that in the TWENTY YEARS that he sat in the pews at the Trinity church he did not witness the kind of anti-white racist circuses that have occurred there recently ?

If Clinton had purchased property with Rezko, who was just CONVICTED of 16 counts of fraud btw, you know nobody would have suggested that it was a non-issue.  Only because it's Obama does anyone make this claim.  The golden boy, Mr. Hope-and-Change.  (barf)

Atheist, Why do you people keep bemoaning the fact that Obama is a fraud? If you don't like him, DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM. How can it be easier? If you think any opponent is better, vote for them. But please don't come here with this unsubstantiated drivel and barf. McBush, the phony, now that is something to barf about. If you have proof of Obamas' lies, show us the source.

LOL.  The Clintons have their fair share of real estate scandal first off.  Secondly, you Clinton supporters need a clue.  "It's over." Barack hasn't been transparent?  Ok, name a politician who has been.  Out of any you can point out, Barack is up there in transparency.  Just admit it, it gets under your skin that Barack is so well received.  The flaws people point out in Barack are mere hiccups in the atrocities of some of his competitors.  Hill dog didn't even want to release her tax information from last year.  Taxes!!! Oh boy. Real transparent that Hillary.  I won't even mention McCain. That would be too long of a post. 

Fact:  No one has yet been able to point to anything Wright has said that was racist, much less anti-white.  Zip.  Zilch.  Zero.  Therefore, there was no racism for Obama to ignore.

Wright isn't someone I admire, but I still hate to see blatant lies about him go unchallenged.

If Clinton had purchased property with Rezko, who was just CONVICTED of 16 counts of fraud btw, you know nobody would have suggested that it was a non-issue.

Atheist,

I tend to agree with you on this point. But until or IF someone digs up some sinister connection between Obama & Rezko [and trust me the Republicans will try] then it is simply another issue that diverts the media's attention from the more important problems this nation faces.

I personally don't want to see a President Obama dogged the way the way President Clinton was...with constant alleged scandals & investigations. It's a wonder Clinton was able to govern & accomplish anything.

Politicians tend to meet a variety of folks along the way. Some of these associations end up coming back to bite them. Fair or not, they are often judged by the company they keep. In this case, I'm going to give Obama the benefit of the doubt.

Yer logic(?) wears army boots. Your intelect and ability to comunicate share the same qualities.

You'd save a little time and effort if you just chanted 4 MORE YEARS a couple times. The effect would be marginally better also.

How much is Sean A. Hannity paying Dick Morris to be on his shows? I bet it's enough that Dick can retire after the elections. Sean A. Hannity has lost alot of his clout and people do not believe anything that comes out of his mouth anymore.

Hannity and Morris should take their show on the road as a comedy act. Is it just me or does insanity Hannity get more and more ridiculous as time goes by?  And Morris has no credibilty at all.

Test:

<img>http://eldib.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/small_obama_image.jpg</img>