Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood represents the Illinois Combine in Obama’s Cabinet. His history in Illinois politics is that of a Republican chameleon. So it’s no surprise he gets high marks from MSM pundits.

For example, as LaHood prepared to retire from the House, Mark Shields gushed over him,

After 14 admirable years of representing Peoria and central Illinois in the U.S. House, Republican Ray LaHood has made the House a more civil, more decent and more personal place…Listen to the testimony of U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Democrat who is so tough he’s widely rumored to eat nails and spit rust: “I’ll miss him dearly.”…As somebody who clashed often with his own hyper-partisan GOP leadership in the House, [LaHood] admits: “I survived Gingrich, Armey and DeLay. I’m still here. They’re all gone.”

In December 2008, David Broder described LaHood as: (more…)

The Chicago media is having trouble picking a winner out of the line-up of likely suspects for the Machine’s chosen candidate for Barack Obama’s old, hardly even used U.S. Senate seat.  The dragnet doesn’t include anyone with an impressive rap sheet of accomplishments. So what’s up? Is the Machine sputtering?

The Illinois primary election for U.S. Senator is February 2. Senator Roland Burris isn’t running. No money. No support. No surprise.  After what the disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s hand-picked seat warmer had to go through just to get credentialed, it’s no wonder he just wants to pack up and go home to his monuments.

And the recent victory by Scott Brown in the Massachusetts special election for the U.S. Senate certainly has put the fear of God into party hacks from sea to shining sea. So, who’s the Machine’s candidate among the leading suspects? Here’s the line-up. (more…)