Will Obama keep his word
Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:56 am
and help save Illinois from the politics of sleaze that it has endured for so long?
From the editorial, Obama's new best friend, in Sunday's Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opin ... 6318.story
From the editorial, Obama's new best friend, in Sunday's Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opin ... 6318.story
Not sure what you New Yorkers think of Fitzgerald but he is one of the most important figures in Illinois politics. Hopefully Obama keeps him in place or promotes him to a position where he can be responsible for rooting out corruption throughout the country.Yes, voters want change—and not just in Washington. Decade upon decade, the Illinois culture of political sleaze has cheated citizens of this state. Public corruption has distorted governance, thieved from innocents and alienated voters who now distrust many of the officials whose salaries they pay.
Today one unstoppable force of nature threatens the culture of sleaze and its insider financial deals, its illegal patronage hiring, and its pay-to-play contracts for cronies: Since his arrival from New York in 2001, U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald has demonstrated the energy and integrity that, in time, could liberate Illinoisans from indentured servitude to criminals in government.
President-elect Barack Obama has said he'll keep Fitzgerald in the job, and we trust he'll keep his word. But Fitzgerald, who serves at the president's pleasure, has powerful enemies. They know that as his list of cooperating witnesses lengthens—convicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko may be joining that club—so does his list of potential targets. Those with reason to fear Fitzgerald's breath on their necks would love to see him dumped—or promoted high into Justice Department oblivion—when Obama takes office.