On the lighter side, I thought this newspaper article was pretty funny:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1025587,CST-NWS-obamaforweb26.article

"There is no doubt I had friends and continue to have friends who come out of the more traditional school of Chicago politics but that's not what launched my political career and that's not what I've ever depended on to get elected, and I would challenge any Chicago reporter to dispute that basic fact."

Okay, where do we start? First off, just because Obama's friends were corrupt, and will continue to be corrupt doesn't mean he's corrupt. Excuse me, Mr. Obama, but aren't you supposed to be the candidate of "change"? Does this mean that you're going to start denouncing these corrupt politicians? Are they democrats, by chance? Any chance you might tell us who your friends who "came out of the more traditional school of Chigaco politics" are? After all, can you imagine anything worse than a politician whose been corrupted? Gee, you keep swell friends there Mr. Obama.

So why is this offer only open to Chicago reporters? By your own words, the "traditional school" of Chicago politics is corrupt - why then can we trust the "traditional school of Chicago reporting?" - isn't part of their job to out bad politicians? Seems like they've been asleep at the switch. Feel safe in challenging them, do you?

Ah yes, Tony Rezko. Move on, nothing to see here. Seems Mr Obama returned his campaign contributions - how about the house he helped you buy? Are you returning that also? Did you return his contributions before or after it was pointed out that he was a crook. Guess you can't be blamed, after all, its the system that's messed up, right?

Not implicated with Rezco? Well, just because the Sun-Times doesn't see a problem here (Obama's house bought for $300,000 below market value, property next door bought for full market value by... Rezko... then part of the property sold back). Rezco wanted favors from Obama. Obama took the payoff.

Then in 2006, Rezco donated $10,000 to Obama's (Senate) campaign out of kickbacks from the Governor. When it dragged to the press's attention, he gave the money to charity. There is a story here, but don't count on Chicago reporters to find it (or any other Chicago corruption).

(I can see why Mr. Obama wants Chicago reports to look for evidences of fraud...)

Touring flooded areas of Illinois, Obama said he found 15 of the National Guard's 17 helicopters diverted to Iraq.

Not actually true. Part of the deployment is a Mandated UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. (106th Aviation Regiment, Illinois National Guard), which happened on May 9th. Kosovo is not Iraq. At least 11 Illinois helicopters are on their way to Kosovo. But I suppose Obama is too busy doing other things to realize where his helicopters are.

He repeated the claim he has made repeatedly in the past few days that it was not a "flip-flop" for him to continue raising unlimited amounts of money from an unprecedented number of small donors over the internet instead of limiting himself to $85 million in public matching funds as he had indicated earlier he would.

Ah yes, he repeated the claim that it was not a flip-flop. Claim or no, it was a flip-flop. Let me clarify this for you: He was against private funding before he was for private funding (oh yeah, and 240 Million dollars didn't hurt either). Funny how the article missed that well known point.