Jesse Jackson Jr. Talking With Feds About Blagojevich Since Summer »
Posted By Spadecaller 11 months, 1 week ago in News
CHICAGO — A congressman who acknowledged being mentioned in a criminal complaint against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been sharing information about public corruption with federal investigators for years, a spokesman said. Jackson has acknowledged being the "Senate Candidate 5" referenced in a federal complaint against Blagojevich that accuses the governor of trying to sell the Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
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Spadecaller
Welcome to my profile. About me: I'm an artist of several kinds; from bull to painting. I don't spare too many words. Most ...
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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Too bad! Those who are waiting for the guilt of association to spread further will be disappointed.
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I would like to see some republicans police their own party so that they could represent the people's interests instead of their cronies. We will probably have a long wait before that ever happens.-
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hyperbola11 months, 1 week ago
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Frankly Blagojevich is small potatoes in the political corruption games. We should be going after the big criminals.
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Schumer vs. Blagojevich: No match when it comes to corruption
Amidst the media show of handwringing and shock over the tape-recorded discussions of extortion and influence-peddling by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, we wrote last week: "Conversations similar in substance, if not style, to those made public in the Blagojevich probe will be taking place today in government offices and political headquarters in every state and throughout Washington DC."
This judgment is confirmed by a front-page article in the New York Times Sunday profiling the fundraising prowess of Senator Charles Schumer. It begins with an account of a meeting in late September with a small group of financiers in Manhattan, who coughed up $135,000 for the Democratic Party after a Schumer appeal that emphasized the Democrats' commitment to defend Wall Street in the deepening financial crisis.
According to the Times: "Senator Schumer plays an unrivaled role in Washington as beneficiary, advocate and overseer of an industry that is his hometown's most important business"—i.e., the bankers who have plunged the US and world economy into the greatest crisis since the Great Depression.
The close ties between Schumer and Wall Street have produced a flood of cash into the coffers of the Democratic Party, accounting for much of the party's gains in the last two congressional elections. The Times notes: "Mr. Schumer led the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the last four years, raising a record $240 million while increasing donations from Wall Street by 50 percent. That money helped the Democrats gain power in Congress, elevated Mr. Schumer's standing in his party and increased the industry's clout in the capital."
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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For those who are really concerned about the welfare of our nation as a whole regardless of partisan motives, we should all praise Jesse Jackson Jr. for seeking the feds to investigate Blagojevich for his criminal activity.
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Some of you neocons are really amazingly two faced; you were gleeful about the prospect of Jessy Jackson Jr. being involved in the bribery. But when you find out that he was the man who put his country first and contacted the feds to put an end to this crook, you say nothing.
You guys have no honor. How about some praise for Jesse Jackson Jr. for putting his nation first and his party second. I would like to see some Republcans do the same.
Now, the neocons say nothing about this! What does that tell you?-
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slate11 months, 1 week ago
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DId it actually say that JJ Jr was the one that got the investigation going? If so good for him.
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I still want to see the evidence and not 'a person' who knows something that was 'said' but that person can't be named because of the investigation.
I thought it was against the law to give out information about a federal investigation?
Good on ya Jr. if the claims are true.
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Tcaros11 months, 1 week ago
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Jesse Jackson Jr. (like his father) did not put the country first. He puts his image and aspirations first.
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That is specifically why his father never garnished more support. I've never viewed Jesse Jackson Sr. as a man with an inspired purpose. He was merely someone around greatness at the time of Martin Luther King. He has tried to play upon his associations for personal fame; always looking for cameras too.
His father attempted to hurt Obama during the campaing by trying to draw him into a debate on race; recall Jesse Jackson saying "Obama was talking down to blacks." The campaign was not about race, but Jesse saw it that way.
Now we have Jesse Jackson Jr. worried that he wouldn't get Obama's seat. He possibly heard it was going to someone else. Did he play "well if I don't get it then ....hmmm. We'll see."-
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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Tcaros
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I really don't care how you viewed his father; it is irrelevant.
"Like his father." Talk about obvious bias...
"He possibly heard it was going to someone else."
Do you usually make up this crap as you go along? Innuendo, mudslinging, and guilt by association have become pretty common around here. -
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Tangent00111 months, 1 week ago
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"Jesse Jackson Jr. (like his father) did not put the country first. He puts his image and aspirations first. "
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Typical. When a Democrat does the right thing, there must be an ulterior motive. If Jackson had been a Republican, I imagine Tcaros would be lauding him as a hero of the people.
Hey, maybe Jackson can 'garnish' the support of the parsley lobby?
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getreal111 months, 1 week ago
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Any one who becomes an informant usually has been caught in the act of something, so to get out of trouble they usually set those involved up to be caught thus walking out of the situation they helped to create. Just how stupid do the officials of government take the general public to be? The general public can figure it out, but stopping the corruption is another thing. After all We only get to vote.
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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getreal1
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Apparently you are not aware of why he did it. If you read the short article, it states that the gov asked for a "25K campaign donation" in return for helping his wife. After Blagojevich tried that, Jackson Jr. contacted the feds.
I'm surprised that you have become a rumormonger too. -
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Tangent00111 months, 1 week ago
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"Any one who becomes an informant usually has been caught in the act of something..." Not in the case of 'whistle-blowers', who see something wrong and are morally compelled to act. The Abu Ghraib incidents were brought to light in just such a fashion.
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ningyo11 months, 1 week ago
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or did the feds contact him--this story doesnt jive with the ridiculous speech he made after being named as #5--and we havent heard the last of barry's connection with this either--he still has 6 or 10 different stories about his involvement--like how he could turn down an offer of pay-to-play when he didnt know about it--lets see what blago and rezko produce when they finish talking to fitz--maybe rahm and alexander have some splainin' to do as well
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ybdogsct11 months, 1 week ago
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NINGYO :
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"we havent heard the last of barry's connection with this either--he still has 6 or 10 different stories about his involvement"
Actually, Obama only has 1 story -- the same story corroborated by Republican prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald who has already listened to the taped conversations and vindicated Obama by explicitly asserting on record that Obama is NOT a target of the investigation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/politics/09te...
PATRICK FITZGERALD: "there's no reference in the complaint to any conversation involving the president-elect or indicating that the president-elect was aware of it, and that's all I can say."
PATRICK FITZGERALD: "We make no allegations that Obama was aware of anything. Barack Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is not a target of the probe."
NINGYO :
"like how he could turn down an offer of pay-to-play when he didnt know about it"
Actually, what Obama said was that he and his staffers weren't involved in "any dealmaking." They simply expressed who Obama would like to see replace him in the Senate and said they could offer nothing but "appreciation" if that same person was appointed by Blagojevich. You had better read Obama statement again. You unsurprisingly misconstrued it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081211/ap_on_go_pr_wh...
OBAMA: "What I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any dealmaking around my Senate seat. That I'm absolutely certain of. That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about. And that's not how we do business."
NINGYO :
"maybe rahm and alexander have some splainin' to do as well"
REPUBLICAN-appointed Patrick Fitzgerald has already stated on record that Rahm Emmanuel is not a target of the investigation, based on what he heard from the taped conversations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081212/ap_on_go_pr_wh...
"People who have been briefed on the Illinois governor corruption investigation say Barack Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is not a target of the probe."
You know you have no argument to stand on when even some of the staunchest conservatives (including Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, and former Republican opponent John McCain) have exonerated Obama.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2008/12...
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS CHANNEL: "If anything, Governor Blagojevich expressed frustration that Obama wouldn’t give him anything. Now, I think that's fairly exculpatory for Obama..."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465891,00.html
BILL SAMMON, FOX NEWS WASHINGTON DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: "Blagojevich basically said — if I'm going to appoint Obama's favorite person, Valerie Jarrett, to that Senate seat and Obama's not going to pay me off for it, the heck with her, I'm not going to do it. Of course, he used a little saltier language."
MACCALLUM: "Doesn't the fact that Valerie Jarrett, who was supposedly Obama's top choice, said we don't want anything in this. Is there anything bad about that whole scenario?"
SAMMON: "It may be exculpatory. It might actually helps Obama because it looks like, you know, he was the one guy that didn't want anything to do with pay-to-play."
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/16/gi...
"In a letter addressed Tuesday to Mike Duncan, chairman of the RNC, Gingrich slams the committee for releasing a recent Web video that seeks to connect Obama to embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Gingrich calls the video a 'destructive distraction' and asserts that the national committee 'is engaged in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles.'"
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/14/mccain.sena...
"In a surprising rebuke to the warriors who fought for him through tough times, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday sided with President-elect Barack Obama and scolded the Republican National Committee for fanning the Illinois corruption scandal. McCain rejected complaints from the Republican National Committee that Obama has not been transparent about his contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich."
Y_SOLEINLY :
"Rezko is still singing to the feds."
NINGYO :
"lets see what blago and rezko produce when they finish talking to fitz"
You want to talk abou Rezko? Fine.
Rezko's trial is over and despite the efforts of Republicans scouring the court transcripts and looking for an excuse to smear Obama via guilt-by-association, Obama's name was not named during the trial. That's right. I'll say it again.
Obama was NOT named during the trial.
However, one big political name DID surface during the Rezko trial. Unfortunately for you neocons, that name was KARL ROVE . Oddly, I hear no mention of that from you.
PROOF FROM YOUR OWN PRECIOUS FOX NEWS:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352329,00.html
"A government witness claims political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko discussed efforts among high-ranking Republicans, including Karl Rove and Republican national committeeman Robert Kjellander, to have Chicago's U.S. attorney fired. Mr. Rezko's explanation, according to Mr. Ata, is that Mr. Kjellander is working with Mr. Rove to have Mr. Fitzgerald removed so that someone else can come in to the U.S. attorney's office and individuals who have been cooperating in this investigation with be dealt with differently.
Since coming to Chicago, the New Yorker has sent former Gov. George Ryan (R-IL) and a number of other politicians to federal prison on corruption charges."
I find it laughable that you claim to know more than REPUBLICAN-appointed Patrick Fitzgerald who has already explicity stated on record that obama and Emmanuel are not targets of the investigation. Of course, if you know something that even REPUBLICAN-appointed prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald doesn't know, by all means post your irrefutable, nonpartisan evidence. After all, with all those unsubstantiated accusations and innuendos you've made, it's time for you to
PUT UP OR SHUT UP
Post your evidence. Go ahead. I'll wait.
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ningyo11 months, 1 week ago
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i never said he committed any crimes--and how would that be bigoted if i did--like all libs it is you that are consumed by racial issues--i doubt this will ever get to directly implicate obama--i think thats why fitz pulled the plug when he did and made some calls--which was probably the right thing to do in the national interest--the last thing we need now is another libby/clinton/starr mess with the new potus as the main course--but i do think some of his staff and others will go down when we finally see what rezzko etal have to say
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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ningyo
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"like all libs it is you that are consumed by racial issues"
If you really want to get personal...why don't you ask all the members on Propeller who identify themselves as people of color, how they feel about you?
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Tangent00111 months, 1 week ago
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Ningyo, your post assumes Obama was involved in unethical conduct both with Blago and Resko. You suggest the reason Obama will not be implicated is because of political machinations by Fitz to protect the nation from a scandal. Of course, this will allow you to cling to your preconceived opinions of Obama long after the matter has been settled.
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Tangent00111 months, 1 week ago
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Actually, Obama was on the Illinois State Ethics Committee and sponsored ethics legislation that ultimately lead to Blago's downfall. While Illinois politics is still lacking transparency, Obama has always been on the side of pushing for higher ethics in government.
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JohnGault11 months, 1 week ago
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The more I read, the unbelievable the story becomes. How brazenly corrupt this person is and the culture that sat idly by and accepted it. I read from the story, albeit from Jackson's spokesperson, that he went to the Feds in 2002, and reported this indecent. Nothing happened, so only one thing can be true, either he did not report it, or he did and the Feds did nothing with it. Either way that statement needs to be investigated.
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Listen, I want Obama to succeed, as he goes the country goes. I am not rooting against him, I stand more to gain if he succeeds, We all do. I also am not saying that Obama is part of this, but Everyone states how smart he is, and speak to his instincts. How did he not know, how corrupt this guy was. You cannot have it both ways.
Let me get to the crux of my issue or concern. Obama, at last report, could spend over a trillion dollars in his infrastructure plan. That is a lot of money going in a lot of different directions, so stories like these cause me pause. As I think they should cause everyone.
To better understand my perspective. My state, Massachusetts, built a tunnel (the big dig) originally budgeted for 2-3 billion, the final number was 14 billion, and what the tax payers are on the hook for is 21 Billion. What did we get for this, a tunnel that has already killed one person, credited for killing another and leaks. The tunnel is suppose to last for 20 years, but engineers plan was for a leak proof tunnel. So they are going to have to revise that estimate. The engineering firm that is responsible for this debacle, just got another major state contract.
To say that I am skeptical of government is an understatement. I am frustrated and outraged. I want to believe in our Government, I want to root for someone but at every corner, I find more of the same.
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islandpacloc11 months, 1 week ago
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greenmac11 months, 1 week ago
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Island....
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Nice comment...your mother must be proud.....or did she dump you after you first learned to speak. i was looking at some data today regarding communications skills and at what point they cease to exist.... i guess i have the answer now. -
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willottica11 months, 1 week ago
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It's true. There are black people who lie steal and cheat, just like their are Mexican people who lie steal and cheat, and just like there are white people who lie steal and cheat.
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Lying, stealing, and cheating know no racial boundaries. -
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slate11 months, 1 week ago
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black people lie steal and cheat just like mexican
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The KKK blog site is where you need to be with the other knuckle draggers.GET TO STEPPING moron. >>>>>>>>>>>>&g... Off of to see the Wizard with the funny hate and mask because of being tooo much of a coward to show his face,,,,, Putz
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flyonthewallzz11 months, 1 week ago
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AlphaGnosis, Edinbug, Susan Parish, Atheismisreality, CatStevens, and so many more voices silenced.
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In my world I am in a constant fight with the plumbers, electricians, painters,drywall finishers, tile setters, carpet layers.
But if I was stuck at some kind of a function: those are the folks I would sit at the bar with.
I might nod and shake hands with the architects, engineers, owners, and project managers.
But all of us would wonder: what the hell are you doing here?
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gob34811 months, 1 week ago
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Don't be bragging about J. J. Jr. until all the facts are known. When somebody comes out real quick with how wonderful he is, how he is a good guy, I am reminded of the phrase, "Me things thou does protest too much." Let's not pretend that he doesn't covet the postion.
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lovemylibs11 months, 1 week ago
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I'm with Charlson here - there is a lot left to play out before we know whether or not to make Jackson Jr. a hero or a zero.
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You can't trust the HuffPo to shed the most accurate light on things.
Here was a statement made yesterday by one Mr. Jackson's spokesmen. Make sure you read the last line:
“As a responsible citizen and elected official, Congressman Jackson has in the past provided information to federal authorities regarding his personal knowledge of perceived corruption and governmental misconduct.This was completely unrelated to the current federal investigation regarding the U.S. Senate appointment. And it is absolutely inaccurate to describe the Congressman as an informant.”
Kenneth Edmonds, spokesman for Congressman Jackson.-
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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lovemylibs
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You belong in Rove's stink tank. You conveniently left out the context of that quote. But that is nothing uncommon for you. No integrity at all.
That comment was in response to someone accusing Jackson Jr. of being a "snitch."
(Now, let's hear your sexist comment about my underwear, for a change...) -
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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LoveMyLibs:
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Accept my apologies; I am wrong. I confused you with someone else who uses a moniker with "libs" in it. I don't need to mention names. However, I never said that I was perfect. It is easy sometimes to get tempted by the bait and make rash judgments.
BTW, be my guest, if you would like to post the comments that you think will characterize me negatively, that is your right. I hope you don't take them out of context, but that is your choice too. You can post them on this thread and/or send to them to me personally. I have nothing to be ashamed about.
When I am quiet with myself, I know that most of my commentary is constructive and I accept that some will decide that I am their enemy no matter what I do or do not do. Nevertheless, when I make a mistake, I own up to them. And, for that reason I do not worry about past errors that I have made. A few of us around here make mistakes. I am one of them. My apologies.
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Hhussk11 months, 1 week ago
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Extremely weak story. Please don't waste our reading time. Summary: Jesse Jackson Jr.'s respresentative says he's been helping the feds for a long, long time.
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Until Fitzgerald indicates or clears his name, there's no point speculating. Please find a better story...-
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Spadecaller11 months, 1 week ago
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No Hhussk, you prefer factual stories like they offer on snopes.com; "Who is Barack Obama?"
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(sarcasm)
Yeah...all the major newspapers, networks, and over 50 major internet companies have reported this story...
Another case of sour grapes by a neocon who can't accept defeat graciously.
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dsw444411 months, 1 week ago
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The first couple comments are assinine - this has nothing to do with the Republican party. Obama's top aide, Rahm Emanuel, has been muzzled and is clearly in this up to his ears. Not a real good start for the fledgling Obama Administration and it could get much worse. Blago-gate is getting uglier by the day for Obama and his alreayd-stained clan.
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