The New Irishman in Town

By Kevin Robinson in News on Jan 23, 2007 2:50PM

Now that Barack and Rich Daley have given each other a big warm hug in front of the press, is it too early to start calling him O'Bama? In a press conference at Daley '07 HQ, Obama gave Richie the treatment, saying "I see a lot of cities... I don't think there is a city in America that has blossomed so much over the last couple of decades." Daley, in turn, has endorsed O'Bama, saying that he will give him all the help he can in the upcoming presidential run. Brother Bill and Da Mare's personal media savant David Axelrod are already on Barack's staff, and the rest of the 11th Ward are getting ready to pass out lit.

While going head to head with any of the heavy hitters (or even a dark horse candidate) in '08 will require an extensive ground operation and gobs of cash, (something Daley can help him get), it seems gratuitous to slavishly praise Daley like that. We think Daley needs this endorsement more than Barry does right now. For all the ballyhoo about O'Bama's lack of experience, he seems to understand the political landscape pretty well.

None of this bodes well for erstwhile native girl Hillary Clinton, who has effectively been told to "take a hike" by the rest of the state. In fact, it seems that none of the ladies can catch a break, at least not in Chicago. Dorothy Brown, of thin skin and stating the obvious, alleged that there is a quid pro quo in this endorsement. We suspect that getting the endorsement from the firefighters union won't help her overcome this dynamic duo.