Chicago Sun-Times primer on Tony Rezko and more dirt to come?

Besides reading this blog--either scroll down or type "Rezko" in the search box, if you want to learn more about Antoin "Tony" Rezko, Barack Obama's indicted pal, click here for "8 things you need to know about Obama and Rezko."

It was put together by the Chicago Sun-Times' Tim Novak, who is quite knowledgeable on the subject.

Also, via National Review's Campaign Spot, comes this intriguing, if gossipy story from the New York Observer. John Edwards (remember him?) attended a fundraiser in Manhattan before his appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.

Among the guests at the fundraiser were Kevin Bacon, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins. (Hey, but John McCain has Wilford Brimley in his camp!)

An Observer reader attended the event, and made this report:

(Edwards) did mention that he thought McCain was the likely Republican nominee and that McCain was "crazy"—unfit to have his "finger on the button."

He said that Hillary and Obama have true dislike for each other and that after the most recent debate Hillary mentioned to John in passing that there’s more about Obama and that "slum landlord" [Rezko] that has yet to be disclosed to the public.

Tim Robbins raised the possibility of a brokered convention and Edwards mentioned that it was remote but a possibility.

The Observer backtracks, a bit, in an updated version of the article.

This is, obviously, an account from an unnamed source. But it's someone I've dealt with in the past and whom I trust. The source confirmed the email account to me more than once. And just to be totally clear on the most noteworthy element—Edwards' account of his conversation with Hillary about Rezko—the source said that Edwards gave no indication that Hillary suggested that it was her campaign that had the Rezko-dirt. (Common sense suggests that she wouldn't have said anything of the sort to anyone, let alone to one of her opponents.)

I talked to another attendee who declined to elaborate on Edwards' comments, but didn't deny them. And a colleague and I are trying to track down other people who we know were there.

An Edwards staffer said of the Observer account, "This is a bungled version of what Edwards said, like a bad game of telephone."

Technorati tags: Obama politics Barack Obama Illinois 2008 Election Democrats Chicago Tony Rezko Hillary hillary clinton John Edwards Tim Robbins John McCain