As the the Presidential campaign begins—how long till November? Fuck… —I’ll endeavor to provide updates from Chicago on issues involving our sorta native son Barack Obama.

Yesterday, political fixer Tony Rezko was convicted of 16 of 24 counts against him, and some Obama-haters see this as a way to get at Obama. He arranged a house deal through Rezko, and had taken campaign contributions from him (since donated to charity). While some have dismissed this as Obama’s Whitewater—a manufactured scandal, ginned up by political foes, but ultimately empty—it will still be a factor in the race. But a factor in ways that are complicated by the details of local politics.

To wit: John Kass of the Chicago Tribune points out that McCain and the Rs cannot make too much of a stink about Rezko, since Rezko had such close ties to two Illinois R power-brokers, Bill Cellini and Bob Kjellander. All Obama has to do is point this connection out, and the attack bounces back on McCain and Co, since their boys are (currently) un-indicted co-conspirators.

But it might get more complicated, in that inimitable Chicago Way. In a very rare move, Rezko decided to begin serving his sentence immediately, rather than going free on bond while awaiting sentencing. Mark Brown of the Chicago Sun-Times speculates as to why this is: perhaps Rezko will feel safer inside of prison, since there are a lot of people who really really want him to keep his mouth shut, people who might know people who know how to shut mouths permanently. Brown never quite comes out and says that someone might put Rezko in the River or a landfill, but it’s happened in the past. With his immediate surrender to the Feds, Rezko could either be sending the message that his lips are sealed, he’s going to do his time quietly (like John “Quarters” Boyle did) or he’s going inside now to begin cooperating with the G.

Either way, this is going to be part of the general election campaign, and I’ll keep Slogfans informed of the latest, leaving the best-in-baseball Cubs for Brad to weep over as the M’s suck in so many ways.