Forthright

Obama gets ahead of the potentially damaging Rezko story:

On Friday afternoon, Sen. Barack Obama sat down to talk with the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune. It was a 92-minute discussion in which he talked at length about his relationship with now-indicted businessman Tony Rezko. And the Tribune editors believe that he "offered a lengthy and, to us, plausible explanation for the presence of [Rezko] in his personal and political lives."

"The most remarkable facet of Obama's 92-minute discussion was that, at the outset, he pledged to answer every question the three dozen Tribune journalists crammed into the room would put to him," writes The Tibune in an editorial. "And he did..."

..."Barack Obama now has spoken about his ties to Tony Rezko in uncommon detail. That's a standard for candor by which other presidential candidates facing serious inquiries now can be judged."

As with his association with fiery retired preacher Jeremiah Wright, Obama is sure to face negative advertising attempting to smear him on this minor connection to a Chicago moneyman now under indictment. But by being forthright about it now rather than handling it the way, say, a certain political couple handled their money scandal(s) in the 1990's, hopefully he's substantively put it behind him for good.