Obama's Past Will Catch Up To Him

I'm not one for predictions. That being said, it would not surprise me if we have a significant political scandal involving the president-elect in the next four years. Chicago's and Illinois’’ political machine is notoriously corrupt:

· Governor Blagojevich (D) corruption charges for his auction attempt for the open US Senate seat left void with Obama’s victory (2008);
· Illinois Antoin Rezko (D), a long-time Barack Obama fundraiser and from Chicago, convicted of 16 felony corruption charges (2008);
· Former Governor Ryan (D) conviction of racketeering, mail fraud, filing false tax returns, and lying to investigators (2008);
· Accusations of Illinois Rep. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D), who racked up $420,000 through a series of suspicious real-estate deals (2008);
· Chicago City clerk Jim Laski (D) guilty of bribes for steering city business to trucking companies (2006);
· Chicago alderman Arenda Troutman (D) charged with bribery (2007);
· Chicago alderman Percy Giles (D) sentenced to 3 years in prison for racketeering and extortion, among other things (2000);
· Obama's buddy from the neighborhood, Bill Ayers, founder of the radical Weather Underground, who was involved in several bombings in the early 1970s, including the Pentagon and the Capitol.
I could go on, but you get the point. These are only a few of the recent accusations and convictions. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that in the last three decades, at least 79 Illinois elected officials have been convicted of a crime, including three governors, one mayor, and 27 aldermen from Chicago. To be sure, corruption and ethics issues are not unique to Chicago or Democrats. However, in Chicago it appears to hit a whole new level.

The question is this – How could a person rise so quickly in such a poisonous political culture and keep clean? Obama is 47 years old, one of the youngest persons to ever be elected President. He began as a community organizer in Chicago at age 22. His first elected office was in 1996 to the Illinois State Senate. So in his 25 years in the state and only 12 years in elected office, we’re to believe that Obama has steered clear of all political corruption in his home state and managed to work his way up the political chain to the Presidency on merit? Color me skeptical.

As the honeymoon period ends and investigative reporters decide to actually start doing their jobs on this guy, don’t be surprised if we learn Obama has a political past that would make Richard Daley blush.

Evil Lives - Revisited

There are several great commentators that I have tremendous respect for, but few match Thomas Sowell. Here's a great article that articulates my Mumbai point better than I ever could:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/12/the_meaning_of_mumbai.html

The ‘Facebook’ Phenomenon

As a conservative thinker, I often have people ask me if I’m a fan of Bush. I find this question puzzling. It’s as if they are asking me if I’m a fan of the music group Bush. I have many of their songs on my iPod, so I say yes. Some snort back that they hate Bush. After realizing they’re referring to the President, I ask why. Hate is a pretty powerful term. Do they know him personally? How could you form such a strong opinion of a man without firsthand knowledge?

To me, this is the wrong question to ask. Politicians aren’t supposed to have ‘fans’ per se. Politicians aren’t bands with Facebook pages where you click ‘Become a Fan’. They are elected to represent us. Our government is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Politicians should be judged on their character, leadership, and policies. I absolutely believe Barack Obama was the wrong choice for America . However, I do so on the merits, his (empty) speeches, and his (questionable) past. I will refuse to try to take down a presidency like so many on the left tried, and many ways succeeded, with President Bush. There’s often a debate in college football on if a coach is bigger than the program. In politics, the president will never be bigger than the Nation.

I’m concerned about this ‘Facebook’ phenomenon’s effect on government. There’s a long held American view that government should be viewed with skepticism. Politicians should be treated the same way. Barack Obama’s team did an amazing job of organizing millions of people to raise money and spread his message. Obama for President and related Facebook pages had some of the highest number of ‘fans’ on the website. However, at what point does ‘Becoming a Fan’ cross over into oligarchy? Obsessive Obama supporters crossed this bridge many moons ago. Witness the bumper stickers of Obama ‘fans.’ Many feature a silhouette style picture of Obama posing as if he’s saying ‘follow me to the holy land.’ This disgusts me.

Evil Lives But No One Seems To Care

We are so wrapped up in our day-to-day lives, that at times we forget the crazy and dangerous world around us. Ten Muslim extremists went on a three day rampage in Mumbai, the second largest city in the world with 14 million people and financial hub of India, murdering over 170 innocent people (I highly suggest reading the WSJ’s coverage as it’s a fascinating tale of what happens when the evil of terrorism meets law enforcement ineptness and the carnage that follows). The pure evil, and that’s the only way to describe it, astounds me. Yet America yawns.

The number one job of any government is to protect its people. In these terms, President Bush has done a good job. We have not had a terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11/01. As a result of this success coupled with poor economic conditions, I’m afraid many Americans have again grown complacent to this threat. These acts are a reminder of the evil surrounding us.