V. Obama’s Heart of Darkness: Rezko, Auchi, Alsammarae, and Chicago Graft 187Obama released a statement announcing that he was “saddened,” adding in part that “this isn’t
the Tony Rezko I knew, but now he has been convicted by a jury ... that once again shines a
spotlight on the need for reform.” (cbs2chicago.com) This trope was now a very overworked topos
from Axelrod’s rhetorical grab bag, having previously figured in Obama’s boiler plate “This isn’t
the Jeremiah Wright I knew” evasive denial right after the ranting reverend’s geek act at the
National Press Club. As Pringle points out, ‘...Obama knew about the Operation Board Games
investigation during his year-long wheeling and dealing escapade with Rezko to arrange the
purchase of the mansion and lot, and any claim to the contrary by the “I did not know” candidate is
ludicrous.’ (Evelyn Pringle, opednews.com) This was all bad enough, to be sure. But these
monstrous crimes themselves are nothing but the tip of the iceberg. To estimate the real dimensions
of the bipartisan Illinois Combine, we call on Evelyn Pringle, an expert in the ethnic labyrinths that
are now the city of broad shoulders and former hog butcher to the world.
TONY REZKO: FROM CAMELOT TO OBAMA’S LOT
Pringle’s thesis is simple: Obama is an organized crime figure, and the Democratic Party should
never have allowed him to get anywhere near its presidential nomination:
The most trusted leaders of the Democratic party, such as John Kerry and Ted Kennedy, ought
to be ashamed of themselves for supporting Barack Obama. With use of the internet, a fifth
grader could connect the dots to show a picture of a guy who was picked up in college and
carried up the political ladder by a corrupt gang of influence peddlers. John McCain is just
drooling waiting for Obama to become the nominee so that he can come out with the trail of dirt
that the Democratic Party is too afraid to reveal this late in the game. If nominated, Obama will
not survive a month when faced with the Republican attack machine. If he becomes the
nominee, the web of corruption leading to Obama’s rise to power that this investigative
journalist was able to untangle in less than three weeks, will be front page news right up until
election day, handing the Republicans their only chance in hell of winning the White House.
(Evelyn Pringle, opednews.com)
The keystone in this vast edifice of corruption is the Rezko-Auchi axis, which, thanks to
Obama’s complicity, has allowed Rezko to become the owner of a huge piece of prime real estate in
the Loop, the central business district of the lakeside metropolis. Pringle writes:
The investigation called “Operation Board Games” will lead to Obama’s downfall and it will
begin with what he claims was a “boneheaded” mistake in entering into real estate deal with the
Syrian-born immigrant, Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko, less than a month after Rezko received a $3.5
million loan from the Iraqi-born billionaire, Nadhmi Auchi, who ended up with Riverside Park,
a $2.5 billion 62-acre development project in the Chicago Loop. [This immense prize of
Riverside Park is a central feature of the entire scandal, since] ... following the names linked to
Riverside Park is the key to understanding Operation Board Games.’ (Evelyn Pringle,
opednews.com)
Today, Obama is naturally running away from Tony Rezko as fast as his legs will carry him, but
the evasion is useless. At various times in his career, Obama has been a most assiduous frequenter
of the Levantine gangster.
‘For a year, [Obama] also minimized his relationship with Rezko by telling the media that he
only had dinner or lunch with Rezko one or twice a year. But when confronted by Sun-Times
reporters during the March 14 interview, with the allegation that an FBI mole saw him coming