Obama's Closet Skeletons

We know that Senator Obama made Jim Johnson chairman of his VP Selection Committee. And we also know that Mr. Johnson was CEO of Bailed-out Fannie Mae.

We know that for 20 years Senator Obama attended a church headed by Race-Bating, Black Separatist, Jeremiah Wright. Also known is that Reverend Wright married the Obamas, baptized their daughters, was originally part of the Obama Campaign and was the senator's spiritual advisor. We know that Barack Obama condemed Rev. Wright's views, but only after saying that in 20 years of attending church, he had never before heard any of his Pastor's inflamatory language.

But do we really know Barack Obama? Apparently not. And confirming the fact that we do not know the real Barack Obama, are two recent articles. (Penny Pritzker: Another Friend of Barry We Should Be Concerned About and Who Are You? 'Cause I Really Wanna Know)

In Penny Pritzker: Another Friend of Barry We Should Be Concerned About the author uses a rifle shot approach to one of Barack Obamas friends. Currently John McCain and Sarah Palin are exposing the connection between Obama and a Domestic Terrorist as more than "... just some guy I knew from the neighborhood ..."

In response, the Obama Campaign is highlighting the Keating 5 S&L scandal and John McCain's connection. Meanwhile Former Democrat Senator John Glenn, who was also implicated in the Keating 5 scandal is actively campaigning for Barack Obama. Both Senators Glenn and McCain were cleared of involvement in this scandal.

But this is bigger than just John Glenn. Obama claims McCain can't be trusted because the Keating 5 had something to do with the S&L crisis of the eighties. What about the subprime mortgage crisis of today?

This is a more relevant issue, especially because Americans are hurting today because of the Financial Crisis and $700 Billion Bail-Out. And part of the concern, is because we don't yet know how many more Taxpayer Dollars will be required, let alone the question of have we reached bottom yet? The Economy is the current Number 1 issue for Voters. So a look at Senator Obama's history with Financial Failure is relevant.

The Pritzker Family co-owned the Superior Bank FSB, which collapsed in 2001, resulting in a $460 million payment to federal regulators. Penny served as head of the Board from 1991-1994 and is a director of the bank's holding company, Coast to Coast Financial Corp. [Emphasis mine]

Penny Pritzker is Obama's National Finance Chair.

The reasons cited for the Superior Bank, FSB's failure, Bad lending practices and improper bookkeeping .

Jay Tea at Wizbang takes a shotgun approach in his article Who Are You? 'Cause I Really Wanna Know.

As remarkable as Obama's official biography is, it's the items that are omitted that are really enlightening. One of the biggest weaknesses people cite in Obama is his lack of executive experience, but that's not entirely accurate.

Jay maintains that Barack Obama does have executive experience, but it has not been sucessful and/or was for very unpopular causes.

Barack Obama served on the boards of two very large organizations. He spent seven years with the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (the first four in charge) and eight years as a director of the Joyce Foundation. But he doesn't want to talk about those 15 years of executive experience.

As Mr. Tea notes, the Obama Campaign will not talk about this executive experience, nor will Barack Obama himself. Why?

Obama served as a director for the Joyce Foundation from 1994 to 2002. During that time, the Foundation put a LOT of resources into redefining the 2nd Amendment as not a collective right, and trying to ban handguns entirely. [Emphasis mine]

Well it is obvious why Mr. Obama might not want this executive experience publized.

So, what does this have to do with Obama? I dunno. Obama doesn't talk about it. But the circumstantial evidence is compelling. Obama has a long record of pushing for gun control. He sponsored some of the most restrictive gun-control laws in Illinois. He once filled out a questionnaire saying he supported an outright ban on handguns. Or maybe he didn't -- a "misinformed" aide filled out the form. Or, at least, that question, as Obama filled out other parts of it. Or something.

Surely something good can come out the executive experience at the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. After all he was the Chairman of this organization for the first 4 years.

And then there's the Chicago Annenberg Foundation. This program was set up to improve Chicago's public schools. Bill Ayers, unrepentant former terrorist ("guilty as hell, free as a bird," in his own words), worked for years to start this program. And who was the founding head of the Challenge? Barack Obama. [Emphasis mine]

Oops. Somehow the words "unrepentant former terrorist" don't sound like the proper terms to be associated with a Presidential Candidate.

Obama, who describes Ayers as "some guy in my neighborhood" who he met at a few meetings. Obama, a lawyer and former failed community organizer (he cited his ineffectiveness as an organizer as part of his reason for going to law school), with no real track record of doing much of anything, was put in charge of a foundation that started off with a bankroll of $50 million and ultimately spent over three times that much.

Obama's qualifications up to this point don't sound like the qualifications of someone you put in charge of that much money. A point echoed by Mr. Tea.

There are many unfavorable things one can call Bill Ayers. Despicable. Communist. (Sorry, "small-c communist" is the term he prefers.) Radical. Terrorist. Anti-American.

But I don't think you can fairly call him "overly trusting" or "naive" or "gullible." And those are the qualities one would ascribe to someone who puts a complete stranger (or even a very casual acquaintance) in charge of a project Ayers put that much effort into creating.

It is fair to judge that there must have been a much closer relationship between Obama and Ayers. Why do Obama and his Campaign refuse to elaborate on the real nature of this relationship?

And what positive results for these activities can Senator Obama add to his resume?

Obama ran the board for four years, then stepped down to a board member for three years longer, until the Foundation shut down in 2002. In the end, they spent over $150 million on improving Chicago's schools.

And the result? A study showed virtually no difference between the schools the Challenge "helped" and those they did not. In short, Obama spent seven years and $150 million and achieved exactly nothing.

Except, of course, lining the pockets of his and Ayers' friends. With money from charities and the people of Chicago.

As a former Executive Recruiter (Headhunter to most of you) I can see why the Obama resume does not highlight his 15 years of Executive Experience. Now why exactly should we reward this man with the Presidency of the United States?