Quentin Young's Policy of "Reality and Shame"

Photo HT Real Barack Obama


Quentin Young qutoed below from in an interview with NYT in 1991.

Docs will suffer a little shame, including Young, rather than go broke treating the poor on Uncle Sam's nickle.

Reality worth keeping in mind with the looming Health Care reform plans. Doc's aren't going to work cheap. They'll suffer the shame instead.

With low fees pushing doctors away from Medicaid patients, the medical tradition of charitable service to those who can pay very little or nothing at all has been sorely tested.

Dr. Quentin Young, a prominent Chicago physician and a longtime champion of liberal causes, has strict rules on the number of Medicaid patients he will see because otherwise, he said, "I'd go broke."

He calls his policy a mix of "reality and shame." Dr. Young said that if doctors refused to treat patients based on race instead of a Medicaid card "there would be Federal protection."

"The health status for people represented by Medicaid is declining," he said. "The people are shunted about. Either they are rejected by competent physicians or are very often put into clinics that abuse the system, with very little gain in health.

"It's a reflection of the powerlessness of the poor," he said, "and the hardening heart of American that is ominous."

Scrubbing the Smears

Gateway pundit on Obama' Smear site scrubbing itself of false statements that Obama never worked for ACORN.

Obama, Ayers, Radical Education and Chicago Schools still can't teach kids to read

Millions spent on radical education projects wouldn't have been half bad if the kids could at least read Marx, Lenin, and Mao. Heck someone of them would become neo-cons in a decade. But the Chicago Annenberg Challanged flopped on that even.

The new McCain ad on Ayers. Alsammare, Rezko and the Chamchamal power plant deal ought to be next.

Rezko says: neither Sen. Obama nor I did anything wrong

Clout Street has the video here. He repeats this stuff on Rezko's letter five times,

And I would point out he sent a letter, Tony Rezko sent a letter to a federal judge where he expressly said that neither Sen. Obama nor I did anything wrong and now we've got to respect the process as we've been consistently doing and just let it all unfold…"

What a guy to have your side our Gov.

Daley on Obama and Chicago's Machine

via NPR, HT Beachwood Reporter:

It started last night, when former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani used his speech at the Republican National Convention to ridicule Obama's biography.

GIULIANI: He worked as a community organizer. He immersed himself in Chicago machine politics.

Daley, whose career grew within Chicago's Democratic Party, had this reaction:

DALEY: I don't know where we get this, this idea that there's a big Democratic machine going on. Chicago and the metropolitan area is very Democratic and the state is. There's no, this machine. I thought it was laughable.

I wonder if Robert Sorich is laughing. Photo above and quote below per NYT,

Led by the office of Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney here and also the special prosecutor in the C.I.A. leak case in Washington, prosecutors attacked what they called a "corrupt clout machine" that orchestrated a fraud in city hiring and promotions.

"I think what we saw in this case was the revealing of the Chicago machine, the inner workings of the Chicago machine," said S. Jay Olshansky, the jury foreman. "There clearly is one. It has been in existence for quite some time."

Mr. Olshansky said he had been appalled to learn how city hiring worked.

The convictions have left many people wondering how much closer to Mayor Richard M. Daley a federal investigation that has been rising up the ranks of City Hall might go, and what consequences it could have as he faces re-election for a fifth term next year.

البيرقدار : ملاحقة وزير الكهرباء الاسبق حال عودته Al Hurra TV Alsammarae's return

A google translation of Iraq's al Hurra TV on the return of Alsammarae.

Bayraktar: the prosecution of former minister of electricity and if his return

Ayham al-Samurai, and former Minister of Electricity

His spokesman judge Supreme Judicial Council (Abdul Sattar Albouaprkdar) that the competent courts of the Council will hunt down the former Minister of Electricity (Ayham al-Samurai) in the event of his return to Baghdad. Albouaprkdar explained that the competent courts have already issued a Samurai right set of provisions in absentia, which is still in force and included prison sentences of varying periods. He added Bayraktar said that the verdicts issued against Samurai was convicted on the basis of squandering public funds and abuse of office as minister of career

Gabor Steingart: Obama's Romantic Revolution

A good column from Der Spiegel (HT RBO from the new Weekend Top List ... new format works fine for me RBO). Steingart wrote,

The 200,000 onlookers who thronged to listen to Obama's speech should not deceive us. Listening is not the same as agreeing. Obama divides people, and not along traditional party lines.

It is, anyway, a great mistake to divide the voters in Western nations into left and right, aggressive and peace-loving, market orientated and critical of capitalism. In reality there are just two types of voters: the romantic democrats and the common-sense democrats.

The first type -- the romantics -- love the big moments and the pretty words. They prefer the higher tone and look at a politician's mouth first. They often have nothing but contempt for pragmatic politicians.

Then there are the common-sense democrats, who look at a politician's hands first. They are interested in what the politician does, not in what he or she says. They look for records of success and concepts for change and are often allergic to political preaching. Has the government really worked flat out for the people or has everything just been made to look that way? Does the candidate have solid alternatives or is he just a dazzler?

So far, Obama has been the candidate for the romantics. His skill lies in enchanting his supporters with words. Whatever is held against him, his supporters turn into his favor. The man is an unknown quantity -- no mud sticks to him! The man is measured -- no, he is visionary! He wants to save the entire world -- but it does desperately need to be saved, doesn't it?

Call me allgeric.

Michael Van Winkle: Introducing Barack Obama, The Politician

Van Winkle speaks for a lot of us in Chicago,

Okay. Okay. You have to stop using “Obama” and “Change” in the same breath. I'm begging. Because when I hear that, I get shooting pains through my arms and I begin to sweat in places I didn't know existed. Needless to say, I'm getting concerned about my health.

I live in Cook County, Illinois, see, and we knew Obama long before he was a tingle in Chris Matthews' leg. You may have heard of Cook County; it is home to Chicago. And of course, Chicago isn't known for its inspirational politics. Charles Merriam famously called it “the only completely corrupt city in America.”

So the notion that a politician cut from the machine of Illinois politics, and specifically Chicago politics, could “change” American politics is frankly ... well ... absurd. And yet half this country has bought into that very idea.

Read it all here....

Chalabi, Obama, and Alsammarae

Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic via The Real Barack Obama's What does Chalabi want from Obama.

Two sources, one in Iraq, the other in Washington, told me that Ahmed Chalabi was key in Maliki’s decision to rather ostentatiously endorse Barack Obama’s Iraq withdrawal time-line. Chalabi, of course, has been in and out — mostly out — of favor with the Bush Administration, but it’s not merely revenge that motivated his advice to Maliki. “Chalabi knows American politics better than nearly every other Iraqi politician, and he knows it’s time to line up with the candidate who has the better-than-even shot of becoming President,” one source told me.

I can’t imagine that Obama will be adding Chalabi anytime soon to his roster of 300 foreign policy advisers, despite the favor Chalabi has apparently done on his behalf.

Alsammarae's endorsement a few weeks ago, now Chalabi advice to Maliki. It's not hard to figure though. Iraqi's have the scoop on Obama's ties with Mike Runman, Daniel Frawely, and Tony Rezko on the Chamchamal power plant deal.

We exported Chicago style Democracy to Iraq Chicago and the Iraqi's have learned how to play.

It's a step up for Iraq, but we may well end up with the Iraqi's having the goods on an American Prez. They'll use those files unless Fitz uses his first.

Also read Did someone mention Kurdistan?

The Iraqi government and head of northern Iraq’s regional Kurdish administration, Massoud Barzani, along with the leadership of US forces in Iraq have started to suggest that American forces be permanently based in Kurdistan. [...]

Iraqi and US negotiations continued in Baghdad to conclude a memorandum of understanding to sign this agreement, which will allow the US military to stay permanently in Kurdistan, and Iraqi and US negotiators agreed to focus these negotiations on the issue of determining a timetable for the agreement.

Funny Obama ommitted this one.

Obama Rezko in pictures

Doug Ross does a nice job of it here.

Obama on Bill Foster's 1,400 year long Civil War in Iraq

From MNF-I's site,

Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, commanding general of Multi-National Division - Center, and Maj. Gen. Ali Salih Farhood Oothman, 8th Iraqi army dvision commander, answer questions during a Pentagon press conference on Camp Victory on July 10. Photo by Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret.

The bonds created from success in battle so strong now that the talks on time tables for withdrawel seem moot. Iraq's becoming a strong ally of the US in the Middle East regardless of the terms and time tables that are established.

Improved security in the communities allows the Iraqi government to reopen court houses, build new schools, improve medical facilities, clean out canals, pave roads and fund other local projects. With violence on the decline, Coalition and Iraqi forces have been able to spend more time in the neighborhoods and gain trust in the people’s eyes.

As stability continues to improve, Oates said he looks forward to fair and safe elections; an improving economy; civic responsibility among leaders and politicians; an Iraqi Army that continues to gain professionalism; and more programs funded by the Government of Iraq.

No President or Congressman will easily walk away from this success won at such painful cost.

Obama and Blagojevich

Well, we know Axelrod was no fool.

Update: This pic's so popular, I started a caption contest.

Update: Dan Curry with a quote from David Wilhelm

Talk about poor judgement... from Ryan Lizza's Making it . On Obama's hand in giving Illinois the Blagojevich-Rezko regime.

That year, he gained his first high-level experience in a statewide campaign when he advised the victorious gubernatorial candidate Rod Blagojevich, another politician with a funny name and a message of reform. Rahm Emanuel, a congressman from Chicago and a friend of Obama’s, told me that he, Obama, David Wilhelm, who was Blagojevich’s campaign co-chair, and another Blagojevich aide were the top strategists of Blagojevich’s victory. He and Obama “participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor,” Emanuel said. “We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two.” A spokesman for Blagojevich confirmed Emanuel’s account, although David Wilhelm, who now works for Obama, said that Emanuel had overstated Obama’s role. “There was an advisory council that was inclusive of Rahm and Barack but not limited to them,” Wilhelm said, and he disputed the notion that Obama was “an architect or one of the principal strategists.”

David Axelrod, the preëminent strategist in the state, declined to work for Blagojevich. “He had been my client and I had a very good relationship with him, but I didn’t sign on to the governor’s race,” Axelrod said. “Obviously he won, but I had concerns about it. . . . I was concerned about whether he was ready for that. Not so much for the race but for governing. I was concerned about some of the folks—I was concerned about how the race was being approached.” Axelrod’s unease was warranted. Blagojevich and people close to him have been tied to a seemingly endless series of scandals. The trial of Tony Rezko revealed that Rezko used his influence in the Blagojevich administration to profit from companies seeking business with the state. There is speculation that Blagojevich will be the next governor to be indicted, and the Democratic Speaker of the Illinois House, Michael Madigan, has raised the issue of impeachment.

Update: Check Steve Diamond's review of Lizza over at The Real Barack Obama,

Of course, if Lizza put the Obama-Ayers relationship back as far as the 1987-88 ABCs days, that would contradict the line being put out by the Obama campaign and would open up another wound in the credibility of the Obama machine. At some point those add up, a turning point is reached and the magic wears off. That, surely, is something Lizza clearly and no doubt desperately wants to avoid.

The willful blindness of the liberal left to the origins of Barack Obama’s rise to power, including his close and long standing political relationship to Bill Ayers, is something we have not seen in this country since the run-up to the Iraq war. That war had Judith Miller, this year’s Presidential campaign has Ryan Lizza.

Lizza missed much including the whole Nadhmi Auchi connection too.

Rich Miller solves Obama's experience problem

Miller solves Obama's experience deficit with a return to Springfield to save Illinoisians from ourselves? Obama's fellow Democrats? ...go pick but it's an excellant idea.

So, I have a different solution. One that would almost assuredly tell us whether Obama can survive the presidency’s unimaginably hostile environment.

Let’s make him come back to Springfield and solve the gridlock.

Sen. Dick Durbin said months ago that he’d rather go to Iraq and work on that mess than stick his nose into the unending war between Gov. Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan. I can relate.

“Toxic gridlock” doesn’t even begin to describe our state’s embarrassing political battle, which has held up just about all progress for more than a year. Unemployment is rising, yet a jobs-producing capital construction bill for our roads, bridges, schools and mass transit is stuck in limbo. People are going without health insurance, but solutions can’t be reached because one side doesn’t want to work with the other. Nothing — literally nothing — is being accomplished because the governor and the speaker want to crush each other.

The Israelis talk to the Palestinians more often and with more sensitivity than Madigan speaks with Blagojevich.

Nobody is getting killed at the Statehouse, at least not yet. There are no bullets and bombs in this fight, no mass slaughter like the Darfur catastrophe, no Iraq-style religious war.

But that makes it the perfect training exercise. If Obama fails, we’ll just muddle on like always and hope that somebody comes to his senses.

We do have the slaughter in Chicago from gang warfare too... maybe that's the next test.

Rove subena, Bush Impeachment, get the feeling Dems worried about Obama flips?

Pelosi is talking up impeachment again. Progressives getting energized over Rove. Get the feeling Obama supporters a little worried over Obama flipping on FISA, or sounding like he might listen to General Petreaus's wise counsel on winning the War, so now dragging out last year's issues to scare the base back in line a bit?

Meaningless stuff (as though a Prez Obama wouldn't defend separation-of-powers if Axelrod subeaned for a witch hunt!) thrown at progressives suffering buyer's remorse with Obama.

So instead of dealing with real threats, and oil prices, and things that matter; we're getting-warmed-over, phony politics, from past years.

Update: Check Beckel's 'What's Wrong With Senator Obama?' too see the juice Democrats are trying to pump back into the campaign. Rove and Impeachment's not going to do it.

Austen Bey: Obama's tack on Iraq

From Bey via The Real Barack Obama,

We have now seen enough of Barack Obama's campaign to get an idea of his remarkably agile strategic plan. Mr. Obama bills himself as the candidate of "change and hope" — and change is a key component in his plan, if by change we mean radical political flexibility characterized by dramatic shifts in fundamental policy, or quickly substituting today's iron-clad principles for last week's rusting certainties, or adroitly morphing his eternal verity of Old Testament May into a revised piety befitting New Age July.

Obama and the Ayers family

The Real Barack Obama on the Ayer's connection: Obama's Northern Trust Connection. It's Pop Ayers more than kid Bill.

Bill Foster v Obama on the FISA Bill

Bill Foster back in Feb on FISA and retroactive immunity,

"The President and his allies in Congress are playing politics with national security, and that's wrong. Nobody is above the law and telecom companies who engaged in illegal surveillance should be held accountable, not given retroactive immunity. I flatly oppose giving these companies an out for cooperating with Alberto Gonzalez on short-circuiting the FISA courts and the rule of law."
Bill Foster, Democratic Candidate in IL-14 March 8th Special Election

....and Obama in WaPo on his support for the compromise bill now:

...said the bill's target should not be the phone companies' culpability, but "can we get to the bottom of what's taking place, and do we have safeguards?"

Culpability ...illegal surveillance of terrorists days after thousands of Americans dead at the WTC and Pentagon. Neither of these two quite gets it. OBL's declared war on the United States and all the liberal world believes in. Listening in on the enemy's phone calls is not a threat to civil liberities. It's the defense of liberty.

The Audacity of Auchi

Picture at left is Iraqi-British billionaire Nadhmi Auchi, Gov Blagojevich, and Iraqi-American (and Chicagoan friend of Rezko) Ayham Alsammarae (then Iraq's Minister of Electricity under Bremer's CPA) at a dinner thrown for Auchi in April 2004 at the Four Seasons. Obama probably dropped by for a toast.

Mr Auchi ought to know when you wade into Chicago politics sometimes the crud sticks to your pants because now he wants to sue Evelyn Pringle over her Cliff Notes on just what all these fellows where up too that night.

Here's Pringle's reply via Rezko Watch,

Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:11:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: Evelyn Pringle
Subject: I want you to stop threatening to sue over my articles
To: Alasdair.Pepper @ carter-ruck.com

Dear Mr Pepper:

Although you have never informed me of your client's objections to my articles, it has been brought to my attention that you are attempting to intimidate sites that publish my work by threatening to sue them for defamation.

I ask that you cease this tactic immediately. Your actions are not only violating my right to free speech but they are also adversely affecting my business relationships and livelihood.

I will gladly defend any action filed against me in the US by your client. However, in order to sue me he would have to appear here before a jury and you and I know he is not allowed in this country. Therefore, your actions represent harassment and unlawful intimidation of a professional journalist.

If I get any more reports that you are trying to sabotage my relationships with publications, I will contact the US attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald and the US Department of Justice to seek legal advice on how to put a stop to your illegal conduct.

I will be forwarding a copy of this email to all of the sites that publish my work.

If Mr Auchi was allowed in this country, I would be the one filing a law suit against him.

Truly,

Evelyn Pringle

Also, Freddy Gay's Eye Spy in The American Conservative.

Barack Obama should be grateful for Britain’s restrictive free speech laws, according to London’s most fearless magazine, Private Eye. The Eye, which often covers stories other magazines won’t touch, claims that aggressive libel lawyers in Britain have censored web reports on Nadhmi Auchi, the mysterious London-based Iraqi billionaire who has been linked to Obama.

If you come to Chicago and dine with the heavy-hitters and only come out of it with a case of indigestion, you're probably ahead of the game. Should have stayed home in London Mr. Auchi.

xp John McCain 2008

More Rezko... Sun Times on Obama and Rezko, and Blagojevich and Rezko

The Sun Times today: Prosecutors held back on using Obama's name

The documents indicate that prosecutors considered offering witnesses to explore why Rezko used others to contribute to Obama and also to Blagojevich, and U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve ruled that they could. But they did not end up offering any such testimony during the trial.

"Witnesses will testify that Rezko was a long-standing supporter and fund-raiser of Barack Obama," prosecutors wrote.

And Who lied, witnesses -- or gov? REZKO TRIAL Feds reveal he denied pay-to-play remarks described by 2 in court

Newly unsealed court files in the Tony Rezko corruption case show that federal agents interviewed Gov. Blagojevich "on multiple occasions" and that the governor denied having conversations described in court by two key prosecution witnesses.

That raises the possibility that either the witnesses lied under oath or that Blagojevich lied to federal agents about statements he was said to have made, tying state business to support for his campaign

Walls are closing in and the air is getting thin for the Governor. He won't go down alone.

Obama and Durbin on Public Financing of Elections

As Dick pointed out...