Are You Who You Hang Out With?

Watching the movie "Oliver" with my grandchildren the other night, I was intrigued by Ron Moody's performance of Fagin as he sang "I'm Reviewing the Situation." When he uttered the words: "All my dearest companions Have always been villains and thieves . . . ", I was reminded of Obama and his friends that are nothing but sleaze.

I spent my parenting years telling my children the friends they chose would influence who they became. In my occupation, I tried to only work with people who had similar values and standards. Now I see that Barak Obama, soon to be the most powerful and potentially influential person in the world, has been surrounded by "villains and thieves."

Here is the list that I am aware of:

1. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his pastor for over 20 years, says blacks should not sing "God Bless America" but "God damn America."
2. Governor Blagojevich of Illinois is indicted on charges of bribery and fraud trying to sell the Senate seat.
3. Three other ex-Illinois Governors have been convicted of felonies during Obama's life. The last one, George Ryan, was Governor while Obama was an Illionis lawmaker.
   
4. Gov. Bill Richardson from New Mexico, a nominee for Commerce Secretary, withdrew because of an investigation of corruption. It is interesting to note, David Rubin, the suspect in this bribery probe, also donated $2,300 to Mr. Obama's campaign and $26,200 to the Democratic Party
5. Timothy Geithner, nominated for Secretary of the Treasury failed to properly pay his taxes from 2001-2004. A 2006 audit by the IRS revealed the error, but Geithner didn't pay the back taxes until he was nominated for the Cabinet position???
6. Hillary Clinton, nominee for Secretary of State, has always been at the center of corruption from Whitewatergate, to Travelgate to the impeachment of her husband Bill.
   
7. Seven of the Top Ten Political Scandals of 2008 were from the Democratic Party. If you remove David Kernell, who was the son of Tennessee Democrat Mike Kernall and Sarah Palin who was exonerated after the investigation, that leaves six out of eight were Democrats.

If an eagle hangs out with the chickens, it won't change his genetic code, but it might influence the important decisions he makes in life. I'm just worried.