Barack Obama Watch: The Tony Rezko Problem; Update: Obama Strains His Credibility

Chicago real estate developer and fast-food magnate Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko leaves federal court in Chicago in this Oct. 19, 2006, file photo. Rezko spent years pouring thousands of dollars in campaign contributions into Barack Obama’s climb from the Illinois legislature to Capitol Hill, and helped him raise tens of thousands more

Not a good day for Barack Obama. First, there is the Rev. Jeremiah Wright problem and, now, Tony Rezko who is turning out to reinforce the notion that Barack Obama’s judgment is poor and not ready for prime time.

An indicted Chicago businessman and political operator played a much bigger fundraising role in Barack Obama’s political career than the White House hopeful had previously disclosed, the candidate tells the Chicago Tribune for an exclusive story late Friday afternoon.

Antoin “Tony” Rezko, on trial for corruption, raised roughly $250,000 for Obama — more than $100,000 more than had been previously discovered by enterprising reporters.

Obama also admitted that he made repeated lapses in judgement by involving Rezko in a complex house purchase, the paper reports.

Read the Chicago Tribune story here.

This corner lot formerly owned by Antoin “Tony” Rezko’s wife, Rita, is next door to the home (right) of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood.

From the Chicago Tribune piece:

Indicted Chicago businessman Antoin “Tony” Rezko was a more significant fundraiser for presidential candidate Barack Obama’s earlier political campaigns than previously known. Rezko raised as much as $250,000 for the first three offices Obama sought, the senator told the Tribune on Friday.

Obama also said for the first time that his private real estate transactions with Rezko were not simply mistakes of judgment because Rezko was under grand jury investigation at the time of their 2005 and 2006 dealings. In addition, he said, “The mistake was he had been a contributor and somebody involved in politics.”

In an extensive interview that he hoped would quell the lingering controversy over his relationship with Rezko, Obama said that voters concerned about his judgment should view it as “a mistake in not seeing the potential conflicts of interest.”

But he added that voters should also “see somebody who is not engaged in any wrongdoing . . . and who they can trust.”

Seen in a courtroom sketch is Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko appearing before federal Judge Amy J. St. Eve at federal court in Chicago, Monday, March 3, 2008, where he is on trial, charged with using political clout to run a multimillion-dollar extortion scheme.

Does Obama think the American public is stupid? Naive? Both?

First, Obama attends a church for twenty years who has a race-baiting, America hating Pastor and want us to believe he did NOT know about some of his rants. Now, he wants us to believe that his involvement with a corrupt Tony Rezko and doing business with this individual who is under federal indictment is “a mistake in not seeing the potential conflicts of interest.”

Please……..

Now, Obama is saying on Fox News that if he had heard some of Jeremiah Wright’s statements in person or had some of them been repeated to him he would have quit the church. Unbelievable.

What about the disinvitation of Jeremiah Wright when Obama announced for President?

According to the pastor, Mr. Obama then told him, “You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.”

Barack Obama is not telling the truth and has just self-destructed.

McCain vs. Hillary will be the general election race.

Update:

As Newt Gingrich just mentioned on Fox News, this is a question of Obama’s credibility. Does Obama really expect the American people to believe him regarding Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko?
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Barack Obama Watch: Is Jeremiah Wright a “Death Blow” to Obama?

Barack Obama Watch: Disagrees With “God Damn America” Statement of Jeremiah Wright

Barack Obama Watch: The Sounding Board – Jeremiah Wright

Barack Obama Watch: The Jeremiah Wright Problem