At 8pm CNN will air the first one-on-one debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Clinton will probably have to answer questions about the Kennedy endorsements, her time on the board of Wal*Mart, and her husbands involvement in a uranium mining deal in Kazakhstan. I wonder what the Big Dog thought of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan?
I’m not sure what they’ll hit Obama with. The Rezko thing is pretty dead now that the Chicago Tribune, which has led the way on that investigation, said the following while endorsing Barack:
Last week, Hillary Clinton attacked Obama for his association with alleged influence-peddler Tony Rezko. If Obama had dealt with the Rezko issue forthrightly long ago, it might rank in public memory with Clinton’s remarkable success in cattle futures.
Instead, as we’ve said, Obama has been too self-exculpatory. His assertion in network TV interviews last week that nobody had indications Rezko was engaging in wrongdoing strains credulity: Tribune stories linked Rezko to questionable fundraising for Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2004 — more than a year before the adjacent home and property purchases by the Obamas and the Rezkos.
One more time, Senator:
You need to divulge all there is to know about that relationship. Until you do, the journalistic scrubbing and opposition research will intensify. You should have recognized Rezko as a political seducer of young talent. But given that you’ve not been accused of any crime or ethical breach, your Rezko history is not a deal-breaker.
Nor do we know of similar lapses during the 12 years we’ve been watching Obama.
To the contrary, the professional judgment and personal decency with which he has managed himself and his ambition distinguish Barack Obama. We endorse him convinced that he could lead America in directions that the other Democrats could not.
What do you expect to see?