Mr. Obama throughout his career has tried to portray himself as being firmly in the latter camp, while critics have repeatedly tried to tie him to the "Chicago machine" environment that shaped his early political career.

WSJ: Obama Ties in the Spotlight

The other guy's been running bigger and bigger cogs in the Chicago political machine his entire adult life.

CNN: Commentary: Palin is a VP for the rest of us

Lipinski all but inherited his seat from his father, Bill, who successfully maneuvered Chicago's Democratic machine into giving the seat to his son.

ECONOMIST: The New Congress