THE UNDER BELLY OF PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

The papers an TV news are filled with the fact that Hillary Clinton will not release her "First_Lady" papers until after the election in 2008. This provokes the feeling of "she has too much to hide" in any inquiring mind.

But she is not the only Democrat to refuse to allow the public to see prior political documents. Senator Obama has apparently "lost" his Illinois Senatorial papers. He spent six years in the State Senate, and he says he no longer has access to them ,so how can he release them.

The media is giving him a pass on this issue by in large, but a search of the Chicago area newspaper archives reveals a possible scandal hidden in the "lost" papers of Senator Obama.

The following is a headline in some Chicago area newspapers:
"INTERNET EDITOR AND REPUBLICAN CORRUPTION FIGHTER ANDY MARTIN REQUESTS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO “DEAL” BETWEEN SENATOR BARACK OBAMA AND INDICTED INFLUENCE PEDDLER TONY REZKO.NEWS CONFERENCE DETAILS"

Internet journalist/editor Andy Martin on November 16, 2006, held a news conference to announce that he has filed a complaint with the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division of the U. S. Department of justice seeking a criminal investigation into the financial links between U. S. Senator Barack Obama and indicted Illinois influence peddler Tony Rezko. The complaint also names U. S. Representative Luis Gutierrez. After his news conference, Martin went to the U. S. Attorney’s office to leave a letter for the foreperson of the U.S. Grand Jury.

Mr. Martin had this to say when questioned by reporters as to why he was filing this complaint: Mr. Obama says he made a ‘mistake’ when he entered into a deal with Tony Rezko,” Martin will state. “On the contrary, Obama committed a crime, and he knew it. Rezko was engaged in influence peddling, plain and simple. Obama was not some unsophisticated jerk. He had served as an Illinois State Senator, a body that has been a fulcrum of corruption for decades. He knew the ‘players.’ What Obama did is no different than the same kind of ‘honest graft’ that has sent Illinois politicians to jail since Governor Otto Kerner. Now that the election is over, it is time to focus attention on what I believe was Obama’s criminal conduct.”

And while the Sun-Times refers to dozens of housing rehab deals and to $43 million in taxpayer subsidies that were collected by Rezko-connected companies, Obama said the following in rebuttal to questions by Chicago Sun Times Reporters: "He worked on just four of those housing rehabs, and all he did was to create a legal corporate joint venture.""We set up the structures and that was the end of it,"

Sun-Times investigative reporter Tim Novak asked Obama how he could not have known that many Rezko buildings were horrible slums."My point is the implication is that we were out there facilitating these kinds of practices, and that just wasn't the case,"

For those who have never heard of Tony Rezko, I will add a brief description of his activities in Chicago during the last decade. Rezko is a Syrian born Muslim who made millions in Illinois and foreign real estate deals and "sweat heart pizza deals" in the Chicago area.

The "main dough" in Tony’s Chicago business is Pizza, but he was sued by the parent company,. He also owns 7 Subway sandwich shops on Illinois toll way, thanks to his chummy connections to the governor.

He has used his powerful web of connections( including the Muslim Community in Chicago) to aid most of Chicago area politicians (including Senator Obama), thanks to his donations to their political campaigns.

Since he was indicted last week, no one knows for sure where Rezko is. The FBI said that he was in an Amman Hotel; he also was reportedly in Qatar, where he is believed to be the Emir’s pal.Rezko could go to his native Syria, and simply not comeback. In addition to his legal troubles, Rezko is in really big financial trouble. His house in the ritzy suburbs of Wilmette has over 3 million dollar lean to GE Capital after defaulting on payments. His businesses are faltering.Rezko is also being sued by his former friend, also a native Syrian, Semir Serazi for defaulting on a million dollar loan, Serazi secured for Rezko.Serazi, who heads the Semir and Liyla Serazi educational foundation,a businessman and a noted philanthropist, www.Serazi.com, is seeking $10 million.

The irony of the withholding of documents by both Senators Clinton and Obama is that both are campaigning on a platform of "open" Government, and a promise to"clean out the "sleaze" in the White House. It sounds too much to me like "The Kettle Calling the Pot Black"! Neither one of these "front runners" deserves to sit in the White House any where but in the waiting room to see the next President!