In 2005, he proved his loyalty to the machine when U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was investigating corruption in Illinois. Axelrod attacked him for daring to criminalize the sleazy style of politics in Chicago,

In an op-ed piece Axelrod insisted that trading political favors -- including jobs, known as "pay for play" these days -- is an essential part of the process that makes government work.

Axelrod has been the liaison between the Daley Machine and Barack Obama. Giving him a key White House post cannot cleanse him of his association with the endemic corruption of the Daley Machine, which he has long and faithfully served. Send him back to their welcoming arms.

There is no question of Valerie Jarrett's association with the Daley Machine. She once served as Richard Daley's chief of staff and has been described as a key cog in the Daley Machine. That fact alone disqualifies her from serving in the post of advisor to the president of the United States. Moreover, she has been under a cloud of suspicion for her roles in a couple of sordid scandals involving public housing in Chicago.

Said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton: "Like Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett is a product of the corrupt Chicago political machine. And it is no stretch to say that she was a slumlord.

"We have real concerns about Jarrett's ethics. Washington already has plenty of corruption. We don't need to import more of it from Chicago," Fitton added.

According to Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago office: "If it [Illinois] isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor."

America can do without any hint of the Illinois corruption the Chicago Three represent.