Basically they see Nifong is an embarrassment to their profession and appropriately want him to get off this case.

I’m getting the feeling Nifong got a few less invites to Christmas parties this year .

It looks like everybody is trying to run from their dirt while much of the media is on vacation. Now the Democrats and John Conyers are trying to slide out news that congressman Conyers is corrupt. Of course they are using a massive amount of sugar coating and spin.

Really the admission is weak and the reprimand light. Conyers admits to a “lack of clarity” regarding the rules. Someone in Congress as long as him knows the rules and this is a lame excuse. He’s not being pulled from any positions of leadership and he’s not resigning. So the Democrats have basically released a statement to try and make things look as if something is being done, while allowing the man who is dirty to retain everything he’s always had.

update 1/3/2007 3:50PM: Michelle Malkin gives her take over at Hot Air.

Saddam Hussein is dead. Proof Iraq’s judicial system might be working better than America’s. (Not considering any Islamic religious laws of course.) If Saddam were brought to the USA he probably never would have received the execution he deserved and in the unlikely event he was actually sentenced to death he would have died in prison keeping the execution tied up with appeals. Iraq’s court made the decision and served swift justice. We should send every American state and federal death row inmate to Iraq, because they are proving they know how to handle murderers sentenced to die.

I know without a single doubt that Saddam would have never been executed in America if he was brought here. We have hundreds of terrorists at the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba that are sworn enemies of America and they are eating better than some Americans. Zacarias Moussaoui was given life in prison. Lynne Stewart received 28 months. America has shown the world, that if we don’t kill the enemy on the battlefield our judiciary is never able to finish the job.

Does it really make any sense that the nation setup with a new government was able to better handle a tyrant than the nation that helped to establish it? One would have thought that Iraq’s trial of Saddam would have been rife with corruption and Saddam might walk.

I feel great shame in saying I know it never could have been done in America. My judiciary can help government take my house, but it can’t properly deal with a murderer.

This is an addendum to my prior post regarding Obama’s shady land deal with Antoin “Tony” Rezko. If you have not read that post, please read it first in order to properly understand this post.

I found a Washing Post article (dated 12/16/2006), that is a bit of a fluff piece, but offers more details about this shady deal. The first interesting thing I noticed was:

…Obama and Rezko’s wife bought adjacent properties on Chicago’s South Side, closing the deals on the same day. Seven months later, wanting a bigger yard for his $1.65 million house, Obama bought a slice of the Rezko property for $104,500.
…

So Obama ran this deal through a trust and Rezko had his wife make the buy, although it was Obama and Tony Rezko who discussed this property Obama was looking at. Come on, this is pretty sheisty, both Obama and Rezko tried hard to cover their tracks! I say that since in my opinion Obama and Tony Rezko had everything planned before doing anything. The same seller owned both properties, which explains why they would prefer to close both on the same day, although it’s still odd that they would demand it when selling separate properties. No matter if the seller moved out of state, to close a nice 6 and 7 figure deal, it does not seem that it would be too much trouble to close them separately if needed. I still feel Obama cut the deals on the same day in order to get a discount on his purchase price. A $300,000 discount!

…
Chicago authorities alleged last year that Rezko set up a front minority company to win permission to open three Panda Express outlets at O’Hare International Airport. His nominal partner was Jabir Herbert Muhammad, son of the late Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad.

Rezko and Muhammad settled the matter, which became public in 2005, months before Obama’s house purchase. Without admitting wrongdoing, they agreed to end their O’Hare operations and were disqualified from the city’s minority business program.
…

Not only does Obama’s pal have Nation of Islam ties, Tony Rezko was caught abusing a program setup for minority business owners. The political far Left, who laud Obama as their patron saint endorse minority business programs, but Rezko abused one and then Obama went and purchased land from him. That on top of Rezko’s other dirty deeds. I’m sure Obama would tell you he forgot to read the paper on the days Rezko was being caught doing all this mess. Wikipedia says Rezko is a Syrian born Christian. With ties to people like Jabir Herbert Muhammad, I feel like Rezko is more of a typical Syrian than a Christian. This is the man Barack Hussein Obama Jr. cut a deal with.

If you didn’t know, the Nation of Islam worked boxing champ Muhammad Ali over pretty good outside of the ring. Muhammad Ali sued Jabir back in 1994 for forging his signature.

The article also mentions:

…
Later, the Obamas bought a 10-foot-by-150-foot piece of the lot for $104,500. An appraisal put the value of the strip at $40,500, a spokesman said, but Obama considered it fair to pay one-sixth of the original price for one-sixth of the lot.
…

I still say the appraisal was bogus. Rezko paid $625,000 for that lot. For 1/6 of it to appraise for around $40K tells me there might be something shady behind the appraisal of that strip of land. I say Obama got it for cheap only paying $104,500.

Here’s more shadiness.

…
Rezko and Obama collaborated to build a fence separating the properties, and Obama has paid his landscapers to mow the lawn on the Rezko lot. Obama, who said city code required Rezko to fence the lot, paid for legal and design work to ensure it was done properly, while Rezko paid for the fence.
…

Given city code required Rezko to get a fence, why did Obama pay to cut Rezko’s grass? Obama also paid the legal fees and for the design work. It makes absolutely no sense that Obama would pay for any of that. If my neighbor gets a fence, I’m not paying for jack! Not their lawn maintenance or anything else related to THEIR FENCE. Obama claims he wanted it done right, but I’m sure rules for that area would have ensured that. Obama is offering a cheap cover story. The fact Obama put money into those other things looks terribly shady to me. I guess if the fence ever needs painting Obama will get out there with a paint can and brush, or maybe Rezko will hire a fake minority company with Nation of Islam links to do it?

And like I said, ask Obama about Rezko’s legal issues and he’ll say he didn’t read the paper that day.

…
Obama said that he was unaware of Rezko’s brewing troubles in 2005 and that Rezko sought no favors.
…

People claim Obama is so “bright”, but I’m supposed to believe he missed all the reports of Rezko being in legal hot water?

The Chicago Tribune has a picture of Rezko, if you’re interested in knowing who to avoid if you spend time in Chicago.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Obama’s links to Rezko are deeper than that land deal.

Obama sure is awfully nice to Rezko, the man other Democrats were running away from.

Maybe people like Rezko help Obama get money from people like Aramanda?

…
Gibbs said he did not know whether Obama was considering returning any contributions from Aramanda given his alleged role in the federal corruption cases against Rezko and former Teachers Retirement System board member Stuart Levine.

Aramanda is identified as ?Individual D? in Rezko?s indictment. And when Levine pleaded guilty in October, Aramanda again was listed as ?Individual D.?

Aramanda was identified by the Sun-Times as ?Individual D,? who allegedly received a $250,000 kickback tied to a scheme to steer lucrative state pension deals to firms and consultants that donated to Blagojevich. Aramanda is not specifically named or charged with criminal wrongdoing in the court papers. He could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Aramanda has contributed $11,500 to Obama’s campaigns since 2000, Gibbs said. He gave $1,000 toward Obama?s run for Congress against Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Chicago) in 2000; $500 to Obama?s Senate campaign in 2003 and $10,000 to his Senate campaign in 2004, Gibbs said.
…

Yea, when Rezko’s fence gets dull, I think Obama will be out there painting away!

All I have to say is, he earned it.

And he’s earned more than that for all the mess he’s done in the Duke Lacrosse formerly a rape case.

update 12/28/2006 10:17PM: The Smoking Gun has a copy of the documentation.