John McCain: Obama Padded By Hot House Flowers - Not Reporters

"You will recall that for my entire political career here, I was not the the endorsed candidate of any political organization here," the Democratic presidential hopeful said at the Westin Hotel downtown. "I didn't go around wielding a bunch of clout. My reputation in Springfield was as an independent. There is no doubt I had friends and continue to have friends who come out of the more traditional school of Chicago politics but that's not what launched my political career and that's not what I've ever depended on to get elected, and I would challenge any Chicago reporter to dispute that basic fact."

Why yes, yes I do recall! As memory serves, Lo these many years of your 'entire political career here' in Chicago. However, your reputation was that of a Democratic block voter - really, more of a "Present Voter" in Springfield, IL. But, then I am no reporter for a 'great Metropolitician Newspaper' doing the bidding of a Cheryl Reed - remember Cheryl?

Now lookee, here! In the very same paper, someone other than Abdon Pallasch - whom I teasingly on the square refered to as one of David Brooks's Chicago Hothouse Flowers in a recnt comment in Chicago Daily Observer - the only Independent source in Chicago for news, opinion, witty discourse, snappy patter and slim obfuscation! Abdon had a piece recently on Father Pfleger's return to St. Sabina.

My remarks:

Abdon Pallasch - An Orchid of the Greatest Delicacy!

Cymbidium - Insulated, Sprayed and plucked for impurities by the custodiand of the Chicago Media Hothouses.

Abdon digs for rock-bed truths with a balsa wood shovel!

Ben Hecht with a titwillow's heart!

http://hickeysite.blogspot.com/2008/0...

Today Abdon is shilling for Obama again in the Sun Times, while three other reporters Chris Fusco, Tim Novack and Dave McKinney take up the Obama Challenge and point directly to another Chicago Style opportunist with long ties to Kid Hope!

Davis is a 67-year-old lawyer and real estate developer with long ties to Mayor Daley and Sen. Barack Obama, as well as to the governor.

He served on the Chicago Plan Commission and, with his former law firm, Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, was a boss to Obama early in the presidential hopeful's career.

Davis was appointed to the unpaid post on the state pension board Feb. 13, 2003. On July 22, 2004, he recommended that the agency give RREEF up to $100 million to invest. RREEF was already handling $55 million for the board.

The next day, Davis voted to approve RREEF's deal.

In February 2005, RREEF agreed to put Davis on its board. He began working as a paid board member that April, state records show.

In a letter that June, Davis notified the pension board of his appointment and said, "To avoid any potential for, or appearance of, a conflict of interest, I will recuse myself from any vote of ISBI having to do with RREEF II."

That was all he needed to do, according to another pension board member, Illinois Appellate Court Justice Thomas E. Hoffman, who was the board's ethics officer. In fact, Hoffman thought Davis' role "was to ISBI's advantage," according to the minutes of the pension board's June 22, 2005, meeting.

Neither Davis nor Hoffman responded to requests for comment.

The State Board of Investment's executive director, William Atwood, calls Davis' service on both boards "an appropriate thing for him to do.

"The whole purpose of that directorship is to oversee the interest of investors," says Atwood. "Who better to do that than a member of our board?"

RREEF executives also defend Davis' arrangement, issuing a statement that says, in part: "Mr. Davis did not become a director of the REIT until several months after ISBI made its commitments, and no additional subscription commitments were made by ISBI after Mr. Davis was elected to the REIT's Board of Directors."

Siedle, the former SEC lawyer, questions why the pension board would want Davis on the investment firm's board. The state pension system's staff could monitor the investment as well as Davis could, says Siedle, who heads Benchmark Financial Services, a Florida firm. Also, Davis could not pass along any sensitive information to the state about RREEF without violating his fiduciary duty as a RREEF board member, he adds.

"Serving on the two boards simultaneously may create conflicting fiduciary duties and other dangers. . . . I can't see any benefit that would justify the risks," Siedle says.

After leaving his law practice, Davis became a developer, partnering on projects with Rezko. At Rezko's trial, prosecutors said Davis suggested to Rezko that "Million Dollar Baby" movie producer Tom Rosenberg -- a Davis friend who headed a pension-investment firm -- could be hit up for campaign contributions to Blagojevich.

Davis' term on the State Board of Investment expired in January 2007. He continues to serve because Blagojevich hasn't reappointed or replaced him.

Senator Obama "would challenge any Chicago reporter to dispute that basic fact."

Hey, How About Three? John Kass has taken up the Obama Challenge! Watch Out, Now! The Oak Lawn Greek is Holding Up Diogenes' Lamp! John Kass might have added this Greek Motto to the Obama Presidential Seal:

Poso kani ?

Vero Possumus! No wonder you goofs dumped that Seal!