So it begins - Emanuel transition team member unethical

And so it begins. I woke to news on the radio this morning that Mayor Elect Rahm Emanuel's transition team has hit a "small speed bump." It appears, one member of the seven-member team, Judy Erwin, was recently found guilty of violating state ethics rules while executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Erwin claims she didn't tell the Emanuel campaign about this little problem but, of course, that's the same as a head coach of a football team getting caught in a sex scandal and then claiming he's retiring to "spend more time with my family." It's standard procedure. Defend the team.

There's also no surprise that Emanuel would appoint someone like this to his transition team. She's apparently guilty of what, I suspect, is standard operating procedure for Emanuel and, hence, to be expected by his underlings.

I hate to say "I told you so." No, actually, I don't mind saying it at all. The only thing that surprises me as that the worm began to turn so quickly. And, like I said, so it begins.

P.S. apparently she was also involved with the Obama campaign. Anyone surprised by that, too?

Rahm Emanuel? Are people just tone deaf?

Sometimes, I just don't understand. This morning, someone posted a photo in Facebook that showed a Rahm Emanuel for Mayor sign planted in the snow-covered grass between the lanes of a Chicago boulevard. While the person who posted this pointed out that Rahm must have some kind of clout with the city to pull that off, since it is apparently not otherwise acceptable, she still likes Rahm.

I'm a big fan of Ronald Reagan. I think he was possibly the best president since George Washington. And that's saying something since we've had some other remarkable men in that office since 1789 when Washington was first sworn in. But, as much as I appreciated Reagan, I never quite got the "Great Communicator" thing.

Sure, I was impressed with what he said but it was his message more than his delivery that really got me. The same thing with Billy Clinton and Barack Obama, both of whom have also had similar monikers attached to their names. I never got that at all. With Clinton, when the Lewinski scandal broke, I felt like I was the only person who wasn't surprised. I mean, the guy had hound-dog written all over him as far as I could tell.

And Obama - it's as though people who love him are absolutely tone deaf to the rather peculiar things he has to say. I want to scream at them: HE'S A SOCIALIST/WELFARIAN WHO BLAMES AMERICA FOR MOST OF THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS. But, I guess people will only hear what they want to hear.

I recently wrote a column where I spoke of Emanuel setting off the same alarms for me that Stuart Levine did. I once interviewed the former head of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, who is now in prison for using that position to fatten his wallet, for a story about the IHFPB's decision making process related to a proposed hospital in Crystal Lake, IL. I was right about Levine and, in my recent column, I wrote of how Emanuel sets off the same alarms for me. But, nobody else seems to see it.

I told someone about that today - about how I think Emanuel is dirty to the core and, with any luck, will go from City Hall to 26th and California in the near future. My friend said he doesn't see it. In his eyes, Emanuel is merely a pitbull who will get things done one way or the other.

"That," I said, "is the point. How will he get things done and for what purpose?"

I believe Emanuel escaped an investigation into his involvement with Fannie Mae because the investigators were largely sympathetic to his position and influence. But, with or without any solid evidence, I'm convinced this guy is dirty. And I can't understand why other people don't see it.

Maybe I'll one day admit that I was wrong. More than likely, I'll only admit that he hasn't been caught yet. Then again, if Chicago is really lucky, he'll prove me right.

Rahm in trouble in Chicago - "Where'd you get those union member addresses?"

Rahm Emanuel apparently is in a little hot water in his campaign for mayor of Chicago. Apparently, he sent out letters to union members all over the city explaining his position on an issue of concern to that demographic. The unexpected response - how did you get our addresses?

Considering the famously wonderful relationship between Obama, his minions and the unions, it's possible Emanuel obtained this information from, as the radio announcer just stated, someone with the unions who wanted to curry favor with 'the future' mayor.

From my perspective, this just smacks of the kind of behavior I would expect from a snake like Emanuel.