Sadness About Sleazball Rezko

Phil Kadner reports:

I am tired of elected officials who are "saddened" every time one of their corrupt buddies goes off to prison.

Here's what Gov. Rod Blagojevich had to say after his key campaign fundraiser, Tony Rezko, was convicted of orchestrating multimillion-dollar kickback schemes:

"On a personal level I am deeply sad for what's happened to Tony," our governor said.

Here's what U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the Democratic nominee for president, had to say about Rezko, who also contributed money to his campaign:

"I'm saddened by today's verdict. This isn't the Tony Rezko I knew ..."

And here's what U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald had to say about Rezko's conviction:

"I hope people step back and say, 'When you do all that stuff, it's going to come back and bite you in a serious way.' If the morals don't get to them, then I hope the fear of going to jail does."

I would have liked to have heard some indignation on behalf of injured citizens from our governor and U.S. senator.

Maybe something like this:

"The real victims of Rezko's schemes are the teachers whose retirement funds were part of the plot by Rezko and Stuart Levine to enrich themselves. The people hurt were the residents of this state who relied on the Health Facilities Planning Board to put the best hospitals in the right places."

In fact, members of the Rezko jury did say words to that effect. Apparently, they understand better than our elected leaders the damage actually caused by pay-for-play politics.

Blagojevich and Obama sound like every other politician who has ever made buddies with a sleazebag who enriched himself at the public's expense.

They feel bad for the criminal and his family.

Me, I feel bad for the working stiffs who deserve honest government.

If Obama can't tell a lowlife crook from an honest guy, maybe he should make a TV commercial saying as much before he becomes president and starts appointing Supreme Court justices, U.S. attorneys and CIA and FBI directors.

Tony Rezko the man Blagojevich and Barack Obama are close friends with.