" U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s Federal Indictment of

Tony Rezko The U.S. Attorney for Northern Illinois,

Patrick Fitzgerald, has made quite a

name for himself in recent years. He has successfully prosecuted

Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, and former

Illinois Republican governor, George Ryan, within the past year.

Fitzgerald also convicted several former members of Mayor

Daley’s administration for "pervasive fraud" in city

hiring practices. This spring he successfully concluded a trial

against Tony Rezko, convicting him on multiple corruption

charges. In Fitzgerald’s indictment of Rezko, he lists eight

persons that he refers to as "Co-Schemers." Virtually all of these

people have been major contributors to the political campaigns of

Barack Obama, Rod Blagojevich and Richard Daley.

Additionally, Fitzgerald’s indictment makes specific references to

Blagojevich and Obama. The governor is referred to as "Public

Official A" and the senator is called a "political candidate."

The fact that Obama, Blagojevich and Daley are all mixed up

together in the Rezko affair is not surprising. Favored politicians

of both parties in Illinois are often joined at the hip when it comes

to political fundraising. For example, a recent analysis done by

the Chicago Tribune revealed that Obama has taken in more than

$1.5 million dollars for his various campaigns from over seven

hundred people who have also contributed to Mayor Daley’s

candidacies.  "