Obama donor received a state grant
His letter on behalf of a table tennis company preceded the funding.

By Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger

April 27, 2008

WASHINGTON — After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2000, Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama faced serious financial pressure: numerous debts, limited cash and a law practice he had neglected for a year. Help arrived in early 2001 from a significant new legal client — a longtime political supporter.

Chicago entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr. paid Obama an $8,000-a-month retainer to give legal advice to his growing technology firm, Electronic Knowledge Interchange. It allowed Obama to supplement his $58,000 part-time state Senate salary for over a year with regular payments from Blackwell’s firm that eventually totaled $112,000.

A few months after receiving his final payment from EKI, Obama sent a request on state Senate letterhead urging Illinois officials to provide a $50,000 tourism promotion grant to another Blackwell company, Killerspin.

Killerspin specializes in table tennis, running tournaments nationwide and selling its own line of equipment and apparel and DVD recordings of the competitions. With support from Obama, other state officials and an Obama aide who went to work part time for Killerspin, the company eventually obtained $320,000 in state grants between 2002 and 2004 to subsidize its tournaments.

Obama’s staff said the senator advocated only for the first year’s grant — which ended up being $20,000, not $50,000. The day after Obama wrote his letter urging the awarding of the state funds, Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign received a $1,000 donation from Blackwell.

Obama’s presidential campaign rejects any suggestion that there was a connection between the legal work, the campaign contribution and the help with the grant. “Any implication that Sen. Obama would risk an ethical breach in order to secure a small grant for a pingpong tournament is nuts,” said David Axelrod, Obama’s chief political advisor…

"nuts", according to Broken Axelrod. What is totally "nuts" is the thought that the American people will elect this sophmoric, dishonest prick President. It will NOT happen.

to get elected...

he outta know, hmmmm?

Oh, this is different - you said "elect".   Besides, Bush is much MORE than just a sophomoric, dishonest prick.  But where do we begin?

go from the State Senate straight to becoming a formidable presidential candidate? His resume is the thinnest since George W. Bush. For example what is Senator Obama's claim to fame, what are his accomplishments? He has spent his entire time as a United States Senator campaigning. As a lawyer what has been the cases he has litigated? Sen. Edwards at least can claim his success as Plantiff's Attorney? It seems Sen. Obama all he does is give speeches. Big deal.

The answer is simple, he or she must have some powerful and influential friends. That is the aspect of Sen. Obama's candidacy I worry about, to whom does the Senator own favors to.

When CNN, MSNBC talk about Obama's grassroots fundraising efforts I whince with skeptism. Your posting Billkile, confirms my suspiciousness of Sen. Obama and his trustworthiness.

Good job.



-- Modified on 4/28/2008 10:02:24 PM

yeah, not at sll like any other politico out there?  Saying shit that people want to hear?  Man, what a concept!  How is it NO ONE ever thought of it sooner?

Rev Wright is probably right, but, he's a "jilted lover" so to speak, and not exactly prone to speak warmly of Obama, or the least bit inclined toward objectivity, just right now.

than a fellow who says he doesn't care if we're at war for a hundred years.  

Maybe in a hundred years he'll think of a plan.  Maybe a plan like, where are we gonna get the ammo?  and oil?

I guess that's what happens when people make a goal out of stupidity.

endless pointless war that wrecks the economy.

Shit, Obama might have been watching what we do with contracts in Iraq, and learned something.  We couldn't have crooks in the government.  You know, crooks who pardon their buddies when they get convicted of perjury?  Hell no, can't have crooks in government.

Abraham Lincoln was a single term congressman when he was elected.   What you are taking for experience and qualification is actually DISQUALIFICATION.

What we need to do is find some homeless fucker who has absolutely no idea of how to fuck people over, and make him President.  

No, we don't need a BRAINLESS fucker, we've had that for the last 2 terms.