Obama's Relationship with the Chicago Democratic Machine

CBN News reports:

"Right now what Sen. Obama appears to be doing from a political analyst standpoint is he's playing the safe card," Fusco said. "You know Mayor Daley's a popular figure in Chicago, despite his corruption troubles."

Illinois' long-term corruption issues have spawned a veritable watch-dog industry, including the Better Government Association(BGA). When it comes to corruption, BGA Executive Director Jay Stewart says, "we have a severe problem here."

Stewart says Chicago's political machine, run by Mayor Richard Daley, is the state's engine of corruption. For years the city's media has chronicled how city workers are told to get out the vote to keep their jobs and how city contractors must make campaign donations to keep their contracts.

"If you go over to the federal courthouse building the last five or six years," Stewart began, "you'll see a steady flow of state and local elected officials, government employees, contractors--all going to jail for public corruption, trying to rip the public off in one scheme or another."

Obama himself even told the Sun-Times in 2005 that city hall corruption investigations gave him "huge pause" about supporting the mayor. But in 2007, he endorsed Daley's re-election bid. Weeks later, Daley backed Obama for president.

"The mayor's powerful. If you anger him you're going to suffer the repurcussions," Stewart said. "So I think a lot of politicians take a pass on it and Senator Obama has never been that kind of politician to take on Chicago corruption."

Besides Daley, Obama's political family tree includes Tony Rezko. Rezko was the senator's personal friend, fundraiser and now--a convicted felon. Rezko also helped Obama buy his home.

"Real estate transactions are perfectly legal. The problem with that one is at the time Obama buys the real estate from Rezko it's well-known that Tony Rezko is heading toward a federal indictment," Stewart explained.

Stylish.