AG Candidates Dispute Who Has More Experience

"Experince matters" was the theme which Chief Deputy Attorney General Greg Zoeller used to easily defeat Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas at the GOP convention earlier this week. But his likely Democratic opponent, Linda Pence says she has better experience. The Star's Mary Beth Schneider quotes Pence:

"If experience matters, I'm your next attorney general. And it should matter," said Pence, an Indianapolis attorney, as she kicked off her campaign .
. .

She cited her experience in the U.S. Department of Justice, where she worked from 1974 to 1983, prosecuting "executives who were stealing from Americans and committing corporate crimes."

"I put them behind bars," said Pence, who is in private practice with the law firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister. "I am tireless. I am relentless. For 34 years I have practiced law, concentrating on protecting those who need it most. I have prosecuted criminals. I have made Big Oil pay. I have punished polluters."

She said she first began "going after oil companies" for price gouging while at the Department of Justice in the 1970s.

Former Gov. Frank O'Bannon brought in Pence to help the state in its lawsuit against an Anderson corporation that illegally released toxins into White River, killing 5 million fish.

"In record time I secured over $14 million, which was used to restore the river and its wildlife. I beat the polluters," she said.

Indiana's Attorney General is not a constitutional officer and, statutorily, the office is one of the weakest in the nation. Defending the state on appeals is one of its primary tasks. On that score, Schneider quotes Marion Co. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi as citing the Office's 93% success in handling criminal appeals.

No Hard Time For Dirty Cop

Remember that Indianapolis police officer who tipped off drug-dealing suspects involved in the Haughville drug syndicate of grand jury proceedings against dozens? He receives a sentence which includes no jail time. Instead, 39-year-old Noble Duke will spend four months in a community corrections center, six months on home detention and perform 180 hours of community service. Duke was able to secure the legal services of James Voyles, Indy's top criminal defense attorney. The AP reports:

A former Indianapolis police officer has been sentenced to four months in a community corrections center for tipping off suspects in a federal drug investigation.

Thirty-nine-year-old Noble Duke was sentenced Thursday by federal Judge Sarah Evans Barker, who also ordered him to spend six months on home detention and perform 180 hours of community service.

Duke was on the Indianapolis police force from 2001 until he resigned in March.

He pleaded guilty in April to disclosing wiretaps to members of several suspected cocaine-dealing groups. A federal grand jury indicted 36 people on drug trafficking charges in June 2007, but prosecutors said 15 evaded arrest at least partly because they had been tipped off by Duke.

“The court used their best judgment in fashioning the sentence, and Mr. Duke accepts the sentence,” said Duke’s attorney, James Voyles.

More On That Change Obama Is Promising

It's all about change when you hear Sen. Barack Obama addressing his faithful, and they cling to every word he says the way a Scientologist accepts the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard. Fortunately, there are some of us in the blogosphere offering a reality check on the guy. After Obama's long-time friend and political supporter was found guilty on multiple counts of corrupt influence, Obama said he was saddened and it wasn't the man he knew. He's offered similar explanations when the weird and racist rantings of his spiritual advisers became known. The Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet tells us that Obama invited his closest friends, political fundraisers and advisers to travel with him to Minneapolis to bask in victory Tuesday night. So let's take a look at who these folks are.

=>Topping the list is Valerie Jarrett. She is a one-time Chief Deputy Mayor to Richard Daley and heads up the Chicago Transit Authority. She is also the CEO of The Habitat Company, which is the largest private residential manager in Chicago according to its website and which does business with the City of Chicago managing the housing program for the Chicago Housing Authority. She has served on Obama's campaign finance committee, alongside Tony Rezko, with whom The Habitat Company also has business ties. The U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago has prosecuted numerous figures in the Daley administration for pervasive fraud in hiring and contracting during Jarrett's tenure at City Hall and more are awaiting prosecution.

=>Marty Nesbitt is treasurer for Obama's presidential campaign. He is the CEO of the Parking Spot, a parking garage company financed with the help of the billionaire Pritzker family of Chicago. Nesbitt is chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority, which has contracts with Jarrett's The Habitat Company. Rezko and Obama legal pal, Allison Davis, have enjoyed sweetheart business deals with the Chicago Housing Authority. Davis' business partner, William Moorhead, was sent to prison for stealing more than a $1 million from public housing projects he managed for the CHA. As a state senator, Obama wrote letters to Chicago and state officials to help Rezko obtain $14 million from taxpayers to build housing for senior citizens in Chicago.

=>Billionaire real estate magnate Penny Pritzker is Obama's national finance director. Her family's money financed Nesbitt's business. The Pritzker family owned and Penny helped direct Superior Bank, which was closed by OTS and FDIC. The bank failed in 2002 after it used investors money to purchase sub-prime mortgages for securitization. The bank is believed to be one of the first in the nation to engage in the riskier practice of bundling up these sub-prime mortgages and selling them as securities. Earl Hutchinson wrote of Pritzker and Superior Bank at the Huffington Post: "The bank's sordid story and its abominable role in fueling the sub-prime crisis are well known and documented. It engaged in deceptive and faulty lending, questionable accounting practices, and charged hidden fees. It did it with the sleepy-eyed see-no-evil oversight of federal. It made thousands of dubious loans to mostly poor, strapped homeowners. A disproportionate number of them were minority."

=>John Rodgers, another chief finance director for Obama's campaign, is the founder of Ariel Investment. As a state senator, Obama appeared before a board overseeing investment of Illinois pension funds to urge the use of more minority-owned businesses, including Ariel. After Obama's pitch, state pension assets managed by Ariel grew substantially. After U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald began investigatng Rezko and other sleazebag influence peddlers for using corrupt influence to affect the awarding of investments through kickbacks, the Illinois Teacher Retirement System severed its ties with Ariel, citing insufficient returns on investments.

=>Industrial magnate Jim Crown of the Chicago Crown family is my personal favorite. The patriarch of the Crown family is Lester Crown. The billionaire Crown family first became famous for its one-time ownership of the Empire State Building. The family also founded the infamous Material Service Company and has been a major stakeholder in General Dynamics, a major U.S. defense contractor. Material Service conspired with several Illinois lawmakers in the 1970s to pass legislation beneficial to the cement industry in exchange for bribes. Jim Crown's father, Lester, testified in a federal criminal trial that he authorized the payment of tens of thousands of dollars to lawmakers to secure passage of the pro-industry legislation. Federal prosecutors gave Lester and his Material Service Company sweeping immunity from prosecution in consideration for his testimony. My own legislator in Illinois at that time, State Rep. Robert Craig (D-Danville), was convicted of accepting a bribe from Crown, along with a half dozen other legislators. After the trial, state lawmakers passed a law imposing a lifetime prohibition for any company like Material Service which had been convicted or had admitted under oath that it had bribed a public official from doing business with the State of Illinois. The law became known as The Lester Crown Law. When I worked for the Illinois legislature in the 1980s, almost every session someone would try to sneak an amendment through to repeal this law. Each time, an alert lawmaker, prompted by a staff member like myself, would simply have to rise and mention the name of Lester Crown in debate and the amendment would be resoundingly defeated. I'm really comforted to learn that Obama has entrusted a member of the Crown family as a close confidante. The Obama campaign has trotted out Lester Crown, a big supporter of Israel, to defend him against allegations his support for Israel is soft. Of course, Crown's General Dynamics sells weapon systems to Israel.

And then Obama named three persons to a search committee for his vice presidential running mate. It includes Eric Holder, Jim Johnson and Caroline Kennedy. As Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration, Holder gave a green light to and aided former White House counsel Jack Quinn in obtaining a presidential pardon for Marc Rich, the biggest tax cheat in American history. Johnson lives on the top floor of Washington D.C.'s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The quintessential beltway insider, Johnson's wealth and political power are closely related. He's served on all kinds of corporate boards, including United Health and Goldman Sachs, and all that that implies.

Enough said. Will the Obama folks please explain why a skeptic might ask, "Where's the change?"

The Difference Between John McCain And Barack Obama

Sen. John McCain describes the difference between him and Sen. Barack Obama in a way that says so much about who the two men are:

"I don’t seek the presidency on the presumption I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save my country in its hour of need,” [John McCain] said. “I seek the office with the humility of a man who cannot forget my country saved me."

Pence Makes AG Bid Official

Linda Pence officially enters the race for Attorney General as a Democrat. She is expected to run unopposed at the party's convention later this month. Her press release announcing a state fly-around announcement tomorrow reads:

"I am running for Attorney General because Hoosiers need an independent voice to stand up for them," said Pence, a practicing attorney for 34 years. "Whether it's fighting mortgage and consumer fraud, or battling the scourge of methamphetamine in our communities, Hoosiers deserve an Attorney General who is tireless and relentless. I am ready for the challenge."

A 1971 graduate of Indiana University, Linda Pence worked her way through IU's law school, taking night classes while holding down two jobs. She began her legal career with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where she took on big oil companies when gasoline price gouging was a common practice. During her nearly ten years at the DOJ, Pence also investigated corporations for bribery, mbezzlement and tax fraud.

Pence is perhaps best known for winning a record settlement of more than $14 million for Hoosiers against a corporation whose illegal practices killed tons of fish in the White River. She also successfully stood up for Central Indiana mom-and-pop gas station owners against Shell Oil, a multinational corporation, in a complex case that involved claims of unlawful price discrimination, violation of the Indiana Deceptive
Franchise Practices Act, breach of contract and fraud.

Pence is definitely a tough litigator. Not everyone agrees with her tactics. I'll have more on that in the coming weeks.

Obama's Pal Rezko Found Guilty On Multiple Charges

A federal grand jury in Chicago just found Sen. Barack Obama's one-time closest political associate and friend, Tony Rezko, guilty on 16 of 24 wide-ranging political corruption charges the U.S. government brought against him. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, a modern-day Eliott Ness, alleged that Rezko conspired with other influence peddlers in the Land of Lincoln to influence state government appointments and decisions in the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). Rezko is still facing trial in a $10 million business loan fraud case and is wanted in Las Vegas for nonpayment of $450,000 in gambling debts owed to a casino. Rezko is facing a very lengthy jail sentence for today's guilty verdict on multiple felony counts. The government clearly has its eye on the corrupt sitting governor and may need Rezko's cooperation to bring him to justice. Fitzgerald has already sent one Illinois governor to jail, George Ryan, who is currently serving time in the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, having exhausted his appeals. During closing arguments in the case against Rezko, his attorney argued to the jury that Rezko had done more fundraising for Obama's political campaigns, at least $250,000 according to Obama, than Blagojevich's campaign. He also aided Obama in the purchase of his South Side mansion in a cozy land deal with an adjoining vacant lot. The guessing game will now commence on just what Rezko may be willing to spill to the government to avoid a lengthy jail sentence.

UPDATE: Sen. Obama made this predictable statement in reaction to Rezko's convictions:

"I'm saddened by today's verdict. This isn't the Tony Rezko I knew, but now he has been convicted by a jury on multiple charges that once again shine a spotlight on the need for reform. I encourage the General Assembly to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent these kinds of abuses in the future."

Was Matt Tully At The Same Convention I Attended?

Wow! Reading Matt Tully's column this morning, I couldn't help but wonder whether he actually attended the same state Republican convention that I attended or simply read the talking points put out by the Indiana Democratic Party. Here's a sample from his column today:

Like many Indianapolis neighborhoods after last week's storms, this week's Indiana Republican Party convention was sorely lacking in energy.

The party faithful, who couldn't quite fill a huge hall at the Indiana Convention Center, seemed to be going through the motions at a convention marked by lackluster speeches, tepid applause and delegates who seemed most interested in taking care of business as quickly as possible so they could be home in time for dinner.

Perhaps it had something to do with the dire predictions facing Republicans this election year. Maybe it was because the dark convention hall had all the charm of a cave. Whatever it was, the event lacked the buzz of the party's 2004 convention, when delegates ecstatically cheered the nomination of then-candidate Mitch Daniels.

The governor did his part by giving the convention's only rousing speech. But even he had to work to rally the crowd this time around; it's always easier to get excited about a fresh candidate than a guy whose been doing the job for nearly four years.

Well, Tully was right about one thing. Gov. Daniels gave a "rousing speech" but it was more. He delivered as effective of a substantive speech in support of the many accomplishments of his administration as he possibly could. He's passionate about the work he has done for the state these past four years, and he's very convincing in making the case for four more years. I wouldn't envy any candidate who has to go up against his record and his ability to convince people he has the state on the right track. If this isn't the case, then why is Jill Long Thompson having so much trouble finding a running mate?

Tully bought into it hook, line and sinker that Zoeller's win over Daniels' choice for Attorney General, Jon Costas, was an expression of displeasure by the party faithful towards him. Nothing could be further from the truth. To his credit, Tully does pick up on the rift within the Marion County delegation. According to Scott Fluhr's analysis of the AG vote, Marion County's delegation voted by a margin greater than 60% for Costas, the choice of Gov. Daniels and Marion Co. Chairman Tom John. However, if you exclude the 103 delegates appointed by John, who presumably all voted for Costas, Zoeller had to win the vote of the elected delegates by a margin of 62%-38% according to Fluhr's analysis. Will Brizzi be hurt because of his rift with John over this election. He shouldn't. How can you blame a guy for backing a person he has known professionally and personally for more than ten years? What kind of guy would Brizzi be if he supported a guy he didn't even know over a personal friend?

As for the reason delegates were in such a hurry to leave the convention, it was 5:00 p.m. on a Monday, delegates had been stuck at a convention center without any operating concession stands, the room was hot and many people had a long drive ahead of them.

Michelle Obama's "Whitey" Rant

A pro-Clinton blog, HillBlog, provides the most detailed description of the infamous videotape where Michelle Obama, wife of the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, goes off on a racist rant against "whitey." Ironically, her outburst is reported to have happened at a conference in Chicago at Trinity Church of Christ which President Bill Clinton had earlier attended. His presence at the conference is cited as one of the reasons for her racist outburst. Who knew Bill Clinton was to blame for the death of so many Africans? At one time, you could purchase this videotape on the church's website. The photo above, courtesy of Larry Johnson's No Quarter blog, was taken at the conference. This is how the blog describes the videotape, which you can bet will be used by the Republicans this fall:

The Michelle Obama Rant Tape was filmed between June 26th - July 1st 2004 in Chicago, IL at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Conference at Trinity United Church: specifically the Women's Event.

Michelle Obama appeared as a panelist alongside Mrs. Khadijah Farrakhan and Mrs. James Meeks. Bill Clinton spoke during the Conference, as did Bill Cosby and other speakers, but not at the panel Michelle attended. Michelle Obama spoke at the Women's Event, but referenced Bill Clinton in her rant --- his presence at the conference was the impetus for her raving, it seems.

For about 30 minutes, Michelle Obama launched into a rant about the evils of America, and how America is to blame for the problems of Africa. Michelle personally blamed President Clinton for the deaths of millions of Africans and said America is responsible for the genocide of the Tutsis and other ethnic groups. She then launched into an attack on "whitey", and talked about solutions to black on black crime in the realm of diverting those actions onto white America. Her rant was fueled by the crowd: they reacted strongly to what she said, so she got more passionate and enraged, and that's when she completely loses it and says things that have made the mouths drop of everyone who's seen this.

The "tape" is a DVD that Trinity United sold on its website, and possibly offered free for download up until March 2008 when Trinity's site was scrubbed and the DVDs were no longer offered for sale.

This outburst happened just one month before the 2004 Democratic Convention, when Barack Obama delivered the keynote address.

UPDATE: Obama was asked by a reporter about the alleged videotape. Here's his response:

Sen. Barack Obama on Thursday batted down rumors circulating on the Internet and mentioned on some cable news shows of the existence of a video of his wife using a derogatory term for white people, and criticized a reporter for asking him about the rumor, which has not a shred of evidence to support it.

“We have seen this before. There is dirt and lies that are circulated in e-mails and they pump them out long enough until finally you, a mainstream reporter, asks me about it,” Obama said to the McClatchy reporter during a press conference aboard his campaign plane. “That gives legs to the story. If somebody has evidence that myself or Michelle or anybody has said something inappropriate, let them do it.”

Asked whether he knew it not to be true, Obama said he had answered the question.

“Frankly, my hope is people don’t play this game,” Obama said. “It is a destructive aspect of our politics. Simply because something appears in an e-mail, that should lend it no more credence than if you heard it on the corner. Presumably the job of the press is to not to go around and spread scurrilous rumors like this until there is actually anything, an iota, of substance or evidence that would substantiate it.”

Obama Claims Victory

Not by the popular vote of the Democratic voters, but by the unelected superdelegates that are a part of the Democrat's crazy nominating process and by the Michigan delegates the DNC arbitrarily awarded to him, Sen. Barack Obama is able to claim a majority of the delegates needed to win his party's nomination. The popular vote belongs to Sen. Hillary Clinton, who despite deliberately false media reports to the contrary throughout the day aimed at dampening her unexpectedly strong showings in the South Dakota and Montana primaries, is not conceding the race to Obama just yet. Although Obama had expected to win both the South Dakota and Montana races, a surge of support for Clinton has allowed her to claim victory in South Dakota. Obama is expected to win Montana. After hearing Democrats complain for years about the fact that Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000 over George W. Bush but was denied a win because of that undemocratic electoral college system, it's a delight watching them deny the winner of the popular vote their party's nomination because a group of unelected superdelegates think they know better than the people.

The general election race got an early start as Sen. John McCain and Sen. Obama squared off against each other in prime time speeches. The pundits are already declaring Obama the winner in this first round. McCain's speech just didn't measure up to Obama's high standards for oratorical flare they tell us. Obama backhanded McCain while appearing to honor his "heroic service" to his country. "I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine," Obama said. Am I missing something hear? Oh, here's what Obama equates to McCain's military service to his country:

Despite what the good Senator from Arizona said tonight, I have seen people of differing views and opinions find common cause many times during my two decades in public life, and I have brought many together myself. I've walked arm-in-arm with community leaders on the South Side of Chicago and watched tensions fade as black, white, and Latino fought together for good jobs and good schools.

Yeah, I have to agree with Obama. That Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan and Michael Pfleger really know how to heal racial tensions. These men are very thankful for all the federal and state grant money Obama has steered to the South Side for their self-enrichment. Obama has obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in earmarks for programs run by Father Pfleger. Pfleger has generously donated thousands of dollars to Obama's campaigns. That couldn't be easy on the $9,000 annual pay a Catholic priest typically receives.