Sen. Barack Obama “went to Harvard and became an educated fool.” On the surface, it would seem such vitriol directed at the likely 2008 Democratic presidential nominee would originate from Rush Limbaugh or a similarly aligned right-wing blog site.
However, the source of this broadside was none other than Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., during the 2000 Illinois congressional primary. The incumbent, Rush, a former Black Panther, disdainfully referred to the young upstart state senator as an “elite.”
Now, in what can be described as the vagaries of politics, the congressman and superdelegate has endorsed Obama. Rush is recuperating from cancer surgery and is currently unavailable to comment. But a spokeswoman for Rush said that the lawmaker is firmly behind Obama. “The bottom line is that [Rush] is looking forward to [Obama] being the next president of the United States. “
According to the spokeswoman, the 2000 Illinois primary was just a case of Obama’s ambition vs. Rush’s legacy. She further dismissed any notions of hard feelings by noting that when Rush’s son died in gun violence in October of 1999, he received an outpouring of sympathy from Obama.
Rush would eventually prevail over Obama in 2000, retaining his congressional seat. Regarding that victory, Rush’s aide added a tidbit that indicates how the loss served as a springboard for Obama. “[Rush] was probably the last person to beat [Obama] at anything.”
by Sri Raman
