SUN-TIMES CONTINUES ASSAULT ON DALEY

Mark Brown of the Chicago Sun-Times steps into the fray of this Daley-Vanecko situation.

Daleys' family feud clear sign of high stakes: Rare to see one member of tight clan trashing another

As long as the Daley family insists on its right to feed at the public trough through private business ventures, we're entitled to be as skeptical as we want about any of their assertions of innocence.

We can question the mayor's original claim that he never knew about the pension deal, and we can doubt his nephew would have the backbone to resist his wishes.

But you shouldn't doubt for a minute that it was the mayor's brain trust that uncharacteristically chose to go after Vanecko, the son of the mayor's sister. I interpret that as a sign of Daley in serious self-preservation mode.

One way or the other, this joint investigation by the city inspector general and U.S. attorney is making people uncomfortable. Remember that it started with a look into Patrick Daley's involvement in the sewer cleaning contract.

Daley in "serious self-preservation mode"?! Hopefully US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is inching ever-closer to providing Chicago with an image I would love to see: Mayor Daley in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit.