Obama's name comes up at fundraiser's trial

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's name came up Thursday at the trial of fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko. The Democratic presidential contender has faced some tough questions lately about his connections to Rezko.

Obama said he's still feeling confident, even after losing three out of four states Tuesday, because he continues to lead Hillary Clinton in delegates, popular votes, number of states won, and in fundraising. He announced Thursday his campaign collected $55 million last month, an all-time record for a presidential primary.

Most of the money came from small donors. He probably will need every one of those dollars to fend off attacks from Clinton, Republican John McCain, and reporters who still have a lot of questions about his relationship with Rezko.

The Rezko trial began Thursday with Rezko's attorney saying the two met when Obama was at Harvard Law School and Rezko offered him a job at his development company.

"This was a friend and supporter of mine prior to all the trouble that he's gotten into," Obama said Thursday. "It is what it is. And, you know, I trust the criminal justice system to deal with something that has no relation to me."

The Clinton campaign is trying to make Rezko a major issue, and Obama's responding by demanding Clinton release a ream of personal and financial information. That has prompted the Clinton team to compare Obama with Republican lawyer Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor in multiple investigations of then-president Bill Clinton.

Clinton spokeswoman Ann Lewis said, "I did not realize that their version of new politics is to recycle some of the same old Republican attacks on Hillary that have failed for years."

Obama replied: "I can't imagine they delivered that message with a straight face. They spent the last two weeks, three weeks, insisting that we need to disclose things that will allow me to be properly vetted. And when we suggest that they should disclose their tax returns, like most presidential candidates have done, like I have done, did last year, they somehow invoke the name of Ken Starr. I think it's ludicrous."

That and all of the other attacks are likely to go back and forth in the coming weeks, because there is so much at stake in the next 10 or 12 primaries.