Speakers' Roster Or Police Line-Up?

If you were faced with the choice of the risible, despicable Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee or another of your organized crime financier cronies for a speaking slot at your coronation, wouldn't you opt for ten minutes of dead air instead?:

According to a Chicago Tribune article from 2006, [Illinois State Treasurer Alexi] Giannoulias “has faced questions about the bank’s multi-million dollar loans to Michael Gioranago, a convicted bookmaker and prostitution ring promoter.” Barack Obama was quoted in the article as saying that he “is concerned by revelations that the bank owned by Illinois Democratic treasurer nominee Alexi Giannoulias’ family gave loans to a Chicago crime figure and said the candidate owes him and the public a full accounting.”

And while Giannoulias claimed that the loans to Gioranago were made “before he became a full-time bank employee”, “newly discovered public records show Broadway Bank made $11.8 million in additional mortgage loans to Giorango just last year. Giannoulias said he oversaw the servicing of those loans.”

Giannoulias also appears to have lied about the bank’s financing of a casino boat marina. And in what may or may not be an ugly coincidence, convicted felon Tony Rezko racked up $450,000 in gambling debts by writing bad checks on his Broadway Bank account. According to Crain’s Chicago Business, “Obama kept his 2004 Senate campaign funds” at Broadway Bank as well."

Giannoulias himself has accepted at least one controversial campaign contribution, from Spiros Naos, an owner of a line of gambling cruise ships, who got ownership of the company after his uncle “was gunned down in an execution-style slaying after selling the gambling fleet to a group that included indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff”, according to the Chicago Daily Herald. After initially defending the contribution as one Greek helping another, Giannoulias eventually returned the money once the media began dogging him about it. [emphases added]

How did this crook make it into a top spot in Illinois state government when even Illinois Democrats wouldn't touch him? With the divine assistance of....Barack Hussein Obama.

Why in the blue hell would Lucifer put a guy on the convention speaking schedule that reinforces every public doubt about his "questionable" associations and their corrosive reflection on the supposedly sterling "judgment" on which he is staking his candidacy?

Perhaps Bill Ayers had a prior commitment?