RALF SEIFFE |
Chicago Columnist Illinois Leader Political Analyst Entrepreneur Business Advisor Chicago Illinois Review |
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SEIFFE: Present At The CreationTuesday, April 24, 2007 By Ralf Seiffe Shortly
after the Second World War, Americans soured on our relation with the Soviet
Union. Public opinion about the nature of the communist nation had
been formed by flawed reportage during the 1930’s. Later, we were
willing to overlook the enormity of Stalin’s evil because they were our
ally in the war against Hitler. Even after the war, a good portion of
America’s intelligentsia were still in the Kremlin’s thrall.
Despite the media bias in favor of the USSR, more perceptive politicians
began to understand the real danger the Soviets posed. In response,
they created the Truman Doctrine, the object of which was to contain Soviet
expansion. The phrase, “present at the creation” was a badge of
honor for those politicians and advisors who developed
the policies that created the “Cold War.” This notion of
“presence at the creation” is important because long after these men had
passed from the scene, their work endured. From the years just after
World War II until Ronald Reagan decided to break the Soviet Union, this
policy animated our defense posture, the creation of the Interstate Highway
System, the space programs and any number of other endeavors. Indeed,
one can make the argument that the Truman Doctrine was the foundation for
much of the government’s activity in the second half of the Twentieth
Century. Present at the
creation is exactly how Barack Obama explains his relationship with Tony
Rezko. According to reports in The Sun Times and The
Chicago Tribune, Obama was a lawyer representing several non-profit
organizations which partnered with Rezko’s company, Rezmar. The
senior partner at Obama's firm reported that the future senator was
responsible for due diligence on the deals. Those deals had Rezmar
involved in rehabbing decrepit apartments for the poor. Between the
various governments and private lenders, approximately $100 million was
invested. One wonders
how a recent immigrant could become such a factor in the poverty industry.
To be trusted with one hundred million dollars seems like a lot of money,
even by government standards. Conventional judgment of these
projects’ results would indicate the trust was misplaced; foreclosures,
denial of tax benefits and, by the way, boarded up apartments that were
meant for the unfortunate. Looked at
another way, these projects were a roaring success for those who controlled
the money. Rezko apparently became a recycling machine for poverty
dollars; on the one hand, Rezmar and some of Rezko’s other companies
operated as vendors to the state and local governments. On the other
hand, Rezmar became a huge contributor to politicians here in Illinois and
in other jurisdictions. Is there a connection? Your eyes are as
good as mine. What we do
know is that Rezko and Obama have a long history, starting with a job offer
while Obama was still in law school. This relationship continued through the
years Obama operated as a poverty engineer and as a state senator with some
of the projects occurring in Obama’s district. The last
manifestation is a smelly real estate deal over a piece of land Rezko owned
next to Obama’s mansion. Coincidence? Who knows. The “Rezko Doctrine” has been a boon to politicians in Illinois but I wonder whether these politicians are the creation of Tony Rezko’s contributions or if the truth is the other way around. Did a smart young hustler figure out how to shake the public money tree or did a smart young lawyer with a poverty practice see a perfect front man to bankroll his political ambitions? To know, I guess you had to be present at the creation. ©
2007 Ralf Seiffe Ralf Seiffe advises business start-ups and product launches from Chicago, Illinois and is a political analyst and columnist for the Illinois Leader and Illinois Review. Webmaster Contact: Alynn Patzer alynn11111@aol.com |