Another one under the bus…
Obama must be getting tired of throwing people under the bus. The latest is Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Obama’s political mentor who spoon-fed him the bills that Obama now claims success for. Jones got caught calling a black Clinton delegate an “Uncle Tom” in Denver Saturday evening (see Jones: ‘Doubting Thomas not Uncle Tom’). Obama is now quoted by the Sun-Times saying “We don’t have time for that kind of stuff.”
Jones called Clinton delegate Delmarie Cobb an “Uncle Tom” because she supported Clinton. He later denied this but relented when faced with multiple witnesses — several Chicago Aldermen.
The Illinois chapter of the National Organization for Women is calling for Jones to immediately resign. He hasn’t but has issued what the Sun-Times calls a quasi-apology. As they write:
Cobb said Jones finally apologized during a Monday event.
“He came over, sat down. A couple of people obviously had something to do with it,” Cobb said, without elaborating. “He sat down at the table with me. He said, ‘I apologize and let’s move forward.’ I accepted his apology and said, ‘OK, we will.’ It was never my intention to continue things that would hurt Barack Obama.”
Jones, however, offered a much less apologetic version of his Monday conversation with Cobb.
“I said ‘If that’s what you think I said, I don’t want to have no hard feelings, so I apologize. We’ve known each other too long.”
Emil Jones joins Rezko, Wright, Meeks, Ayers, and Pfleger as a very long-time member of Obama’s inner circle. He is quoted as claiming credit for “making” Obama. Among other things, he spoon-fed Obama bills ready to finish walking through the Illinois Senate to give him credit. There was a lot on this earlier during the primary. See, among other reports, Tood Spivak in HoustonPress.
Somewhere there is a list of folks Obama has thrown under the bus. Among them are everyone in Obama’s inner circle – Jones, Rezko, Wright, Meeks, Ayers, and Pfleger.
