When George W. Bush promised to “restore honor and dignity to the White House” back in 2000, what he was really saying was: “When I’m president, there won’t be an intern on her knees in a little room off the Oval Office, collecting DNA samples on her dress.”
By then, everyone in America knew that previous president Bill Clinton had conducted himself like a horny hillbilly, so Bush didn't need to be explicit.
For much the same reason, CBS 2 Political Producer Ed Marshall’s exasperated attempt to get Mark Kirk to shut up about Broadway Bank isn’t going to work. The implication is already clear.
Wednesday Marshall attempted to move forward the conversation about the senate race telling Kirk: “We’re really not going to cover the Senate race if it consistently, only in your terms, is about Broadway Bank. The bank’s been taken over by the government, Alexi’s been pilloried. Tell me: what is your campaign going forward? What are the issues that you are going to tell the voters why they should vote for you?”
Kirk responded:
“The small business bill of rights to help out the number one employer in Illinois, which are small businesses. Fiscal responsibility and integrity, led by the problem that we're talking about right here, and then honesty in government.”
At that point, Kirk must have smirked. He just talked about Broadway Bank, without using the words “Broadway Bank.” In fact, he hadn’t even brought up the topic. CBS 2 allowed Kirk to get in another dig at his opponent.
Politics
The same journalists who now say they’re sick of the topic have made Broadway Bank as much a part of Giannoulias’s political image as the Monica Lewinsky scandal was of Bill Clinton’s. You can't think of one without thinking of the other. From this point on, Kirk doesn’t need to use the “B” words. He can use code words, like “fiscal responsibility.”
Kirk went on to talk about how much he admired former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald’s appointment of a “crusading U.S. Attorney.” And he noted that, if the Northern District of Illinois were its own state, it would be the ninth most corrupt state in America.
“This imposes a hidden corruption tax on Illinois families of around $500 million a year,” Kirk said.
Of course, Kirk was really talking about Giannoulias’ connections to Tony Rezko and Rod Blagojevich. But he didn’t say so. He didn’t need to.
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