Obama's Finest

If you’re expecting this to be a rant based on last night’s Chuck Goudie expose about the “Fortress of Hyde Park,” you’re only half-right. You might be surprised, but I actually didn’t find anything particularly shocking or outrageous about the CPD providing extra protection to Sen. Obama’s home. I was, however, appalled that Jody Weis, speaking in uniform and in his the official capacity as Superintendent of Police, would assert that Sen. Obama is “hopefully going to be our next president” (emphasis added).

Maybe it was simply an innocent, off-hand comment meant to endear Weis to the city, which will undoubtedly vote heavily for Sen. Obama next month. Perhaps I’m making a mountain out of a molehill. After all, most people who watched this report last night probably didn’t even give a second thought to the remark. Still, I can’t help but think that, with all the concern about voter intimidation out there (mostly from Democrats still sore over the Florida fiasco), someone should raise an eyebrow about a man who commands an armed force giving even a flippant wink about who he's rooting for in this election.

Incidentally, one has to wonder: Weis’s background is with the FBI, where I am sure it was made very clear to him that it is never appropriate for a federal agent to make even the appearance of a political endorsement. What might have given him the impression that the same was not true for civil servants in Chicago??