Now why would anyone even think that "The Rev." Jesse Jackson would have tried to buy his boy a public office. (Other than the fact that he's already the country's most well-known shakedown artist, of course...)

Rev. Jackson: I Played No Role in Blagojevich Scandal, Not an 'Emissary'

Jackson wanted to be (the first black) president without having ever held another public office. Unfortunately for him, another man who was willing to at least make some attempt to climb through the ranks in a more accepted paradigm climbed around him and succeeded. Okay, so Jackson may have been bypassed, so let's get his son going through the all the right hoops. And if we have to buy one of the hoops instead of going to the trouble of actually getting elected, well, you do what you have to do.

My point isn't that Jackson is guilty of wrongdoing in this case. It's that he shouldn't be surprised to be suspected when shaking power down for his own ends is his well-known M.O. The difference is that usually he's demanding money instead of offering to pay it.

I might end up being surprised, but I actually give the younger Jackson much more benefit of the doubt than I would ever give his dad. Let's hope the apple has swung wide from the tree.

Labels: Political Observation