The Chicago Sun-Times today (July 17 2008) listed what it calls Obama's "goodie bag" of state grants made between 2000-03.  http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/ob ama/1060495,CST-NWS-watchdog17.article  

As some of the unblind may know, some of these funds went to dubious purposes.  The Sun-Times noted:  "A proposed botanic garden in Englewood got $100,000 from Obama, but the project never was completed because an additional $1 million in funding that Obama had said he'd "work tirelessly" to help obtain never materialized."  Well, it was worse than that.  Lynn Sweet, advertising the story on her blog, referred to the project as a "botanic boondoggle." http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/07/ suntimes_probe_as_state_senato.html  

As a state senator, Barack Obama gave $100,000 in state money to a campaign volunteer who failed to deliver on a plan to create a botanic garden in one of Chicago's most blighted neighborhoods. [skip] Kenny B. Smith, a onetime campaign volunteer for Barack Obama, can't explain exactly how he spent $100,000 of taxpayer's money on a garden that was never built.  Instead, what was supposed to be a six-block stretch of trees and paths is now a field of unfulfilled dreams, strewn with weeds, garbage and broken pavement.

The Sun-Times reported a $75,000 grant to a group called F.O.R.U.M.  Here's the story behind that grant, from the Los Angeles Times:

As a presidential candidate, Obama has been critical of the congressional system of doling out money for pet projects. But he is no stranger to pork-barrel politics and the practice of spreading government money around his district. In Springfield he once directed state funds to a nonprofit group headed by a Republican and former ballot foe, Yesse B. Yehudah.

Yehudah barely registered a ripple of meaningful opposition, drawing only 10% of the vote in his 1998 challenge of Obama.

The following year, a nonprofit run by Yehudah, a social services organization called Fulfilling Our Responsibility Unto Mankind, began seeking state support. At the same time, Obama was considering mounting an ambitious challenge to U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush, a fellow Democrat.

Former foe Yehudah stepped up early to help. In November 1999, five people who worked for the Republican's nonprofit organization each gave $1,000 checks to Obama's congressional campaign committee. Yehudah makes no secret of his goal.

"We want [politicians] to know that when we sit down, we're serious," Yehudah said. "They know it when a $1,000 check comes in."

Obama lost his congressional bid. President Clinton backed incumbent Rush, who received twice as many primary votes as Obama. Obama was left with a $40,000 debt.

Later that year, Yehudah associates pitched in an additional $5,000 to help retire Obama's debt. The contributions were recorded on Oct. 7, 2000, three days after the Illinois Senate, at Obama's behest, approved a $75,000 state grant to Yehudah's nonprofit, state records show.

Then there are his gifts to Father Pfleger, who besides being a spiritual counselor was also a political backer.  According to the Sun-Times, Pfleger's church. St. Sabina, got $100,000 to help rebuild its community center.  But according to the Chicago Tribune, Pfleger "gave Obama's campaign $1,500 between 1995 and 2001, including $200 in April 2001, about three months after Obama announced $225,000 in grants to St. Sabina programs."

The 2007 Tribune story also revealed:

Another supporter, Henry English, made two donations to Obama totaling $900 in 2001 after Obama helped send a $50,000 grant to a non-profit group that English ran, the Black United Fund of Illinois.

Personal ties to Obama also were evident in some pork dispensed by his political allies. The Chicago-based Muntu Dance Theatre received a $4.5 million grant to help pay for a $10 million cultural center.

Obama's mentor in Springfield, state Sen. Emil Jones (D-Chicago), sponsored the grant. And at the time $2.25 million of the grant was disbursed, Obama's wife, Michelle, sat on the non-profit dance group's board.

Obama said in the interview that at the time of the award in 2003 his wife wasn't a board member, though tax returns of the charity indicate she sat on the board in 2002 and 2003.

In all of these stories, the participants said that the timing of contributions and grants was "coincidence."  In the L.A. Times story, the head of the Better Government Association said that in Illinois, "government actions often occur around the time of campaign donations."  "The answer is always the same: It's always a coincidence."

Finally, the Sun-Times story states that: "Records from 1997 to 2000 weren't available."  Because?

Nice candidate you got there.

Pictures, illustrations, etc.

According to Rasmussen HRC would be ahead of McCain by 8 points while he and O (if you count leaners) are today tied. And yet for some strange reason the Obama media crusade refuses to acknowledge this.

And if you had watched the video you would know that some people were eliminated because they printed their names and didn't sign them in the right spot. I know that what he did was "legal". That is not the point. The question is was it moral?.

Do you, because you are part of a law firm, send in a group of lawyers/goons to eliminate your competition by questioning their signatures. Did someone do that to Obama's signatures? Or did they miss their opportunity to question his because of deadlines and the fact that they couldn't afford to pay lawyers to do that. At least one of the people missed out by only 69 signatures. Yes people always make mistakes on those signature rosters, people sign twice because they can't remember if they did it before, in Chicago people may very well forge signatures- that is why you collect so many extra- to cover yourself. But no one is going to have much chance against a deliberate attempt to eliminate you. This is not the purpose of those signatures and  it is just a dirty trick.

Dirty tricks are repug tactics. I like dems playing hard ball I don't like them becoming repugs. And remember this was against fellow dems not against the dirty repugs. What is the point of our party  if we are just like them.

Funny how so many of the comments are attacks and smears rather than addressing the issue like you did.

More's a comin'.

Did he ask you to 'snap into a slim jim'?

I'm not worried.  Yet.

Sound the alarms & post like mad if anyone connects him to Laura Palmer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Palme r

Yeah, Obama used ride through South America with Che when he was negative 28 years old....

I'm telling ya, the guy is beyond space and time altogether (lol..now watch some me call me a messiah loving kool-aid cultist!)