Actually, the question might be who introduced Bill and
Hillary Clinton to Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko. In the famous
photograph
already shown nationwide, the nineties-looking
Clintons
flank Rezko in front of a blue drape. Someone connected with the couple
speculates that the undated photo may have been taken around the time of the
1996 Democratic national convention, hosted by
Chicago.
Given the Clintons’
multiple ties with the Chicago
political establishment, it may have been taken earlier.
Mrs. Clinton’s statement about Rezko, now detained in
advance of his February 25 trial on multiple counts of fraud, is that she does
not know him and does not remember meeting him:
"I've probably taken hundreds
of thousands of pictures," Clinton
said. "I don't know the man, I wouldn't know him if he walked in the door,
I don't have a 17-year-relationship with him."
The person or persons who introduced Rezko and the Clintons,
however, might well remember bringing them together. So who did? And when will
he (probably, he) surface? Quite likely he still has a copy of the photo
himself, possibly autographed by one or more of the parties in it.
In fact, given the apparent incestuousness of Chicago
political machines, it is not statistically improbable that there is more than
one other copy stashed somewhere. Presumably the GOP will find a way to bring
it out, if the Dems nominate the Clintons.
(One notes that the GOP has not hit the Clintons
thus far—no mention of Juanita Broddrick. They and the corporate media have
carefully preserved Clinton’s ‘viability’ as a credible candidate, giving her
$100 million of free media and following the lead of neocons such as Charles
Krauthammer—while helping to bury a line-up of solid figures from Bill
Richardson to Chris Dodd to John Edwards. Obviously the corporate statists have
known for two years that 2008 looks good for Democrats. So the game plan is to
prop up their opponents’ weakest candidate.)
Back to that introduction of Rezko and the Clintons: Calling
around so far has turned up nobody willing to claim responsibility. There are
far too many connections between the Clintons
and the Democratic and Republican Chicago political machines in Chicago
to hazard a guess.
For quick background, the former Republican governor of Illinois,
George Ryan, is in
federal prison following his conviction in a far-reaching corruption case. The
Democratic governor who succeeded him, Rod Blagojevich, is not
under indictment but is increasingly beset by investigations of some of his top
people, and Rezko
was one of his main fund-raisers. The Democratic mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, is
not under indictment but has been damaged by the massive hired trucks scandal
among other issues. The mayor’s son, Patrick Daley, is being investigated by
the FBI and Chicago city officials, and among others the mayor’s former
patronage chief, Robert
Sorich, has been indicted for mail fraud.
Generally the titles of major Chicago
politicians seem to be preceded by the word ‘embattled’.
This Chicago
establishment welcomed the Clintons
warmly in the nineties and remains tied to them in the oughts. Take the
political connections between Governor Blagojevich and the Clintons, for
example. Blagojevich’s campaign chairman, David Wilhelm, a member of Governor Blagojevich's ‘kitchen cabinet’ along with Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko among others, was
national manager of the Clinton-Gore campaign in 1992. Bill Clinton then appointed
Wilhelm as chair of the Democratic National Committee. The Chicago
press has reported that a company founded by Wilhelm has
been investigated by the feds in connection with the state's teacher pension
system. According to the Chicago
Tribune, “Hopewell Ventures, whose five principals include former
top Blagojevich adviser and 1992 Clinton campaign manager David
Wilhelm, secured a $10 million investment from the state Teachers' Retirement
System in December 2003.”
Other
Clinton-Chicago links include Mayor Daley himself—a heavyweight Clinton
supporter from the 1990s to now, see below—and Chicago attorney Kevin O'Keefe, a longtime friend
Hillary Rodham Clinton's
since they reportedly double-dated together in college. Kevin O’Keefe headed
Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in Illinois, became a Clinton delegate,
along with his cousin Bridget, at the 1992 Democratic national convention, and
was named Midwest political director for Clinton-Gore as well as co-chair of the Illinois
campaign. O’Keefe was later appointed chief of intergovernmental affairs at the
Clinton White House. He supported Tom Hynes in the Democratic Senate primary
against Barack Obama.
O'Keefe now plays a role in the Hillary Clinton national campaign, of which Chicago businessman J. B. Pritzker is national co-chair. Back when it was Bill Clinton campaigning, another
chair for Clinton-Gore in Illinois was Mayor Daley’s brother, Bill Daley. Mayor Daley and Bill
Clinton have of course shared extensive time and talent over the years, as well
as rubbing shoulders in campaign events and social settings. Sighted by local
press: “President Clinton showed up at Gibsons eatery late Friday night to join
Mayor Daley, attorney Kevin O'Keefe, a close pal of first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's, former DNC chief David Wilhelm . . . [etc].”
the Clinton Foundation to
retrofit buildings and make them more energy-efficient. The project reportedly
to be paid for out of energy savings.
The joint project,
named the Clinton Climate Initiative, involves Chicago’s
Merchandise Mart and Sears Tower.
According to McClatchy-Tribune, “In addition, the initiative is developing a
targeted program for energy retrofits of privately owned, multi-tenant housing
in Chicago. With the help of the
city's Department of Housing, building owners will jointly contract for work
and use future savings to finance the projects.”
The
smart money has it that Hillary Clinton will attack Obama over Tony Rezko in
tonight’s California
Democratic debate.
The
smart money must have amnesia.
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