The Barack Obama Real Estate Scandal Grows

John Kass of The Chicago Tribune reports on the scandal brewing on Barack Obama's house:

The fact is the Obamas and the Rezkos bought property in a fashionable South Side neighborhood next to each other on the same day, from the same lot, and the Obamas came out the winners.

Obama bought his home at a $300,000 discount. Rezko bought the adjoining lot from the same sellers at full price. One got a juicy bargain. The other overpaid. Legend has it that Rezko never paid full price for anything in his life, so he starts with Obama?

"I don't recall exactly what our conversations were or where I first learned, and I am not clear what the circumstances were where [Rezko] made a decision that he was interested in the property," Obama told the Tribune.

"I may have mentioned to him the name of [a developer and] he may at that point have contacted that person. I'm not clear about that."

I'm not clear about that either.

Later, it occurs to the senator that he'd like a slice of Rezko's acreage to enlarge his estate. Obama's appraiser told him the fair market value of that slice was $40,500.

Since that's one-sixth of the Rezko side, it means Rezko paid $625,000 for property that was actually worth $243,000. That would make Rezko a complete fool. But he's no fool.

Obama then offers to pay more than $100,000 for a slice of land that wasn't worth that much, because he wanted to be fair to Rezko.

Hmm.

I wonder what Obama would pay for my house? If he uses the Let's Be Fair to Tony Rezko Formula, I could purchase the lot next door to Obama and he could holler at me through that nice Tony Rezko fence of his.

No word yet from Frank Rich whether he thinks this is a bribe.Tony Rezko is about to cut a deal with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.Good luck to Barack Obama.You can take the politician out of Chicago,but you can't get the Chicago way of corruption out of the politician.