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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: MJ who wrote (57555)	1/12/2009 9:56:32 PM
From: lorne	1 Recommendation Respond to of 224758

Burris helped Blagojevich in 2006 He aided governor in re-election fight against Topinka By David Kidwell and John Chase \| Tribune reporters January 11, 2009 chicagotribune.com Just days after Gov. Rod Blagojevich accepted his party's nod for re-election in 2006, a letter arrived at state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka's office seeking thousands of pages of documents Blagojevich could use as ammunition against her in their upcoming campaign. The letter was signed by Roland Burris. It was one of several requests Burris made to the treasurer's office in 2006, a campaign practice known as opposition research in which candidates use public documents to question their opponents' records. Burris' assistance for his fellow Democrat would typically draw little notice. But it comes to light as he is seeking to project his political independence from the scandal-plagued governor who appointed him to the U.S. Senate on Dec. 31. Senate Democrats in Washington have said they don't want to seat anyone chosen by Blagojevich, who was arrested Dec. 9 on federal charges that he used his office to enrich himself personally and politically, including selling the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Burris has consistently said Blagojevich's problems are his alone and sought to minimize his connections to the governor as he fights to take his place in the Senate. But the revelation about the 2006 campaign is the third disclosure in recent days highlighting Burris' political ties with Blagojevich. On Friday, Burris' lobbying partner, Fred Lebed, acknowledged they helped the Blagojevich campaign by writing the letters to the treasurer's office under the Freedom of Information Act. But Lebed noted Burris and Blagojevich have also been political rivals. "They are not friends, they are not close but, as Democrats, they have worked to get each other elected in the past," Lebed said in a statement. "At one point or another every Illinois Democrat including Barack Obama, (U.S. Sen.) Dick Durbin, (Illinois House Speaker) Mike Madigan, (Secretary of State) Jesse White and many others have worked toward electing Rod Blagojevich." Burris' first letter came in March, just eight days after Topinka won the Republican primary. It sought scores of documents, from Topinka's travel records to correspondence she had with now-convicted GOP Gov. George Ryan. After weeks of back and forth between Burris and a top Topinka deputy, the treasurer's office informed Burris it had 2,000 pages of records for him. The office of current Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias supplied the letters to the Tribune after the newspaper asked about them. Although Burris and Blagojevich ran against each other in the crowded 2002 Democratic primary for governor, Burris has been a campaign supporter since Blagojevich won that year. Burris' name was never prominent in the parlor game over whom Blagojevich would pick to succeed Obama, but he put himself in the mix one day after Obama's November victory. The former state comptroller and attorney general said he had been approached by a half-dozen Chicago ministers who thought he would be good for the job. A month later, prosecutors alleged they caught Blagojevich on secret recordings discussing how he could shake down Senate hopefuls for everything from campaign contributions to jobs for him and his wife. There was no indication Burris was among those candidates. When Blagojevich made his surprise announcement, both he and Burris called on Senate leaders to abandon their vow not to seat the governor's pick, saying Burris should not be tarnished by Blagojevich's problems. Seeking to convince state and federal officials that he was fit to be seated, Burris appeared before the impeachment committee investigating Blagojevich. While declaring that he offered nothing for the seat, Burris disclosed he had a conversation several months ago with one of the governor's closest advisers about filling the Senate seat. That adviser, Lon Monk, served as the governor's chief of staff and top campaign aide before launching his lobbying career after the governor's 2006 re-election. Burris said he mentioned to Monk the idea of replacing Obama during a conversation in July or September. Burris said he also asked Monk whether he had extra clients he could refer to the Burris & Lebed consulting and lobbying firm. Burris, who has represented companies that have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from state and local governments, said he never got any lobbying business from Monk. He also said he had "no idea" whether Monk ever relayed his Senate interest to Blagojevich. After Tribune questions last week, Burris also has acknowledged asking top Blagojevich financial adviser John Filan to recommend his nephew, Steven R. Burris, for a state job. Lebed said John Harris, the former Blagojevich chief of staff arrested with the governor, had approved hiring Steven Burris as chief financial officer with the Illinois Historical Preservation Agency, an agency that has recently cut 32 jobs. But Steven Burris said he was told budget problems kept him from getting the job.

To: MJ who wrote (57555)	1/13/2009 1:00:47 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224758

Happily never found coffin nails to be either glamourous or a drug. Same is true of my circle of friends and family. Our addictive habit is arguing politics--which reached a new high this past holiday season. Felt like choking a sibling who refused to give Bush credit for keeping Americans safe for the past 7.5yrs. He argued that all past presidents have accomplished the same task. How can an otherwise intellegent person ignore the simple fact that the USA was not being attacked by terrorists in the past? grrrrrrrr. <g> PS: Pres Bush said on Sunday that his only escape from the pressures of the presidency was to ride mountain bikes as hard and fast as possible. If ciggies are O's escape, he should be at least a pack a day smoker by 2012. We'll know that's the case if his 'uhhhhhh' habit becomes interspersed with 'cough,cough.'