<p>Republican campaign strategists aching for the chance to link Barack Obama to Tony Rezko, the controversial Chicago political operator now on trial for fraud, have a problem: the current vice chairman of the Republican National Convention was much more deeply involved with Rezko than the Democratic presidential hopeful.<br />

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Now, Illinois Republicans are <a id="h.kp" href="http://www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3525" target="_blank" title="Minnesota Monitor">calling on Bob Kjellander to step down</a> from his planning role for the St. Paul convention, according to Andy Birkey of the Minnesota Monitor.<br />

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In the Rezko trial, Kjellander was named as having &quot;received $809,000 in consulting fees for the 2003 sale of state bonds, much of which prosecutors believe was funneled through a Rezko associate to Rezko assignees,&quot; Birkey reports. <br />

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Republican plans to attack Obama for his dealings with Rezko would be undermined if a leading Republican had much more significant ties to the indicted man.<br />

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Kjellander, who claims to have a <a id="acco" href="http://www.sj-r.com/news/statehouse/2007/08/16/bernard_schoenburg_column_kjellander_says_he_had_l/" target="_blank" title="Minnesota Monitor">three-decade old friendship</a> with Karl Rove, faces a tough choice: Will he deny personal wrongdoing and thus help insulate Obama from much more flimsy allegations? Or will he fall on his sword for the sake of Republican negative campaigning?&nbsp;</p>