MEANWHILE, BACK IN AMERICAN POLITICS - AT 9:09 P.M. ET:  As Obama worries about Israeli settlements, maybe he should pay attention to some shifting of real estate here in the U.S.  Namely, Chrysler dealerships.  The Washington Examiner reports on a growing scandal:

Evidence appears to be mounting that the Obama administration has systematically targeted for closing Chrysler dealers who contributed to Republicans. What started earlier this week as mainly a rumbling on the Right side of the Blogosphere has gathered some steam today with revelations that among the dealers being shut down are a GOP congressman and closing of competitors to a dealership chain partly owned by former Clinton White House chief of staff Mack McLarty.

The basic issue raised here is this: How do we account for the fact millions of dollars were contributed to GOP candidates by Chrysler dealers who are being closed by the government, but only one has been found so far that is being closed that contributed to the Obama campaign in 2008?

COMMENT:  Is someone suggesting that our Chicago-based White House would be a party to...political hackery?  Why, I'm shocked.  I'm just shocked that anyone would suggest that our president, who, after all, grew up in scandal-free Indonesia, would tolerate anything like this. 

Well, a number of people are suggesting just that.  The other side is saying that car dealers are overwhelmingly Republican, and that accounts for the figures.  But the Examiner asks:  If they were overwhelmingly Democratic, would the administration put pressure on Chrysler to close them down...or keep them?  Hmm.

And there's this tidbit: 

Maybe it's significant, maybe not, but a colleague here in the Examiner newsroom just reminded me that White House car czar Steven Rattner is married to Maureen White, the former national finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Not relevant.  Nothing to see, nothing to see.

May 28, 2009