Chicago sleaze doesn't stick to Obama

When people think of Chicago they often conjure up visions of gangsters during the roaring 20s, people rising from the dead to vote in elections and political machines run by gambling kingpins.

Chicago also gained fame for its radicalism with links to groups ranging from the Weather Underground to the Nation of Islam.

During the campaign, Obama's opponents tried to link him with the sordid underbelly of the Windy City or with its radical elements, but without much success.

Chicago's political culture became linked with corruption back in the 1870s, when gambling tavern owner Michael Cassius McDonald became active in politics. It is said that McDonald first coined the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute."

However, the city is best known for its underground links through the personality of Al Capone, whose gangs shot up the city with machine guns during the Prohibition era.

Maybe partly because of Chicago, the state of Illinois has had more than its share of problems with corrupt governors. Otto Kerner (Blotto Otto; 1960-1968), Gov. Dan Walker (1972-1976) and Gov. George Ryan (1998-2002) preceded Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Yet, the grime of Chicago's underworld has not been sticking to President-elect Obama whose teflon coating might make even cause Bill Clinton to envy. Both Clinton and Obama were charged with guilt by association, although in Clinton's case it was a more intimiate type of association.