I live way on the other side of Michigan, but my brother lives in Detroit and we talk a lot! and it seemed that he was always ranting about Kilpatrick, while I patiently listened. If everything he told me is true, the ‘stories’ started way before the email/love affair scandal, and even before the $8.2 million payout to the fired police investigators. Kilpatricks’ mother won by the smallest margin ever, for her—-so we know the scandal was affecting her re-election. After all, she is ‘family’. But I disagree that what Kwame Kilpatrick does, affects the perception of Obama as a PERSON…UNLESS, it is based on both being African-American. Of course there are those who will ‘assume’ if Kilpatrick, a Democrat, is corrupt—-so will the Democrats be corruptible….and that would affect Obama. But that too, IMO, would be based on race, rather than the person. Unfortunately, PERCEPTION rules, and the people of Detroit are of the opinion that Kilpatrick thought he was above the law, and should have resigned sooner, without being forced to do so…..as any polician should at the very beginning of a scandal. Kilpatrick chose himself, and his familys’ opportunity for wealth thru the no-bid contracts that were just under, the dollar amount, requiring Council approval, over the City of Detroit, in my opinion….I am also of the opinion that Kilpatrick could have gotten a much worse sentence, if he had not resigned, and instead, forced Granholm to remove him. MY opinion is that Kwame and Obama have two very different value systems, and are two very different people. I also take comort in the fact that Obama did not support the Kwame Kilpatrick shennanigans in any way—in fact TOLD him he was NOT welcome to the Dem convention, and told not to make the appearance.

“…and cannot hold public office during his five-year probation period. ” I sometimes wish that America punished an official who commits a crime more in the way they do in Holland. If you’ve even declared a bankruptcy, you can’t ever hold public office again, let alone lying under oath and obstruction of justice. Man…this is a light sentence!

Dana…is THAT why my grandparents emigrated to America? haha kidding, they were good honest Christian people!

Kwame Kilpatrick disgraced the office of mayor, and himself. Good riddance.

Thanks Patty! As a lifelong Michigan resident and former Detroiter, the Kwame Kilpatrick saga has been ongoing since the beginning of his administration. It’s been one incident after another. The undoing of Kilpatrick rests solely in Kwame’s lap. Unfortunately, there’s an ad circulating showing Obama making complimentary remarks about Kilpatrick as Detroit’s mayor at some Democratic (?) function. I believe it occurred a few years ago. So the comparisons are going to be out there. Let’s hope people are more intelligent and can separate the two.