RNC Launches Anti-Obama Facebook Website

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The Republican National Committee has created an anti-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) website parodying the popular social networking site, Facebook.

Barackbook went online Tuesday to "highlight some of Barack Obama's notable associations throughout stages of his career, including his relationships with Tony Rezko, Nadhmi Auchi," according to an RNC news release. "Leveraging the popularity of social networking sites, BarackBook allows voters to explore Obama's connections with these individuals as well as their connections to one another using video and news articles."

Obama's ties to Illinois lobbyist and real estate developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko first surfaced after Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) accused her rival during a debate in January of taking contributions from Rezko. Obama has repeatedly said he has never taken money from federal lobbyists but admitted the day after that debate that he had accepted money from Rezko. Rezko, a former Obama fundraiser, pleaded not guilty in 2006 to attempting to extort money from companies contracted by the Illinois Teachers Retirement System Board and the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. He was convicted last month of 16 of 24 charges including fraud and money laundering.

During his trial, the prosecution's main witness had testified that Obama and his wife Michelle had attended a party held at Rezko's mansion for Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born business partner of Rezko who was involved in the Elf Aquitaine fraud scandal in 2003.

Auchi, once reported to be one of Britain's ten wealthiest, was barred from entering the U.S. in 2005 due to the fraud scandal. After the reception at Rezko's house, he invested about $170 million into Rezko's real estate venture.

Barackbook's friend column also includes William Ayers, a University of Illinois professor who was a member of the radical leftist group, Weather Underground. Ayers served on the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago which also had Obama as a board member until 2002.

Obama has said Ayers is "not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis" and that he "was eight years old when the Weathermen were active... charges against Ayers were dropped and he served no time."