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Last week, eight candidates for the Democratic nomination for president took center stage in a debate televised on MSNBC. While the important topic of ethics was largely ignored, Barack Obama was asked one question about his relationship with shady political fundraiser, Antoin “Tony” Rezko. (Earlier last week, The Chicago Sun-Times published a fairly thorough article on Obama’s ties to Rezko.)

Barack Obama Brushes Off Relationship With Rezko in Debate

Here’s an excerpt from Obama’s exchange with MSNBC’s Brian Williams: WILLIAMS: “You've promised in your campaign a new kind of politics, but just this week the Chicago Sun-Times reported on questionable ties you have with a donor who was charged last year for demanding kickbacks on Illinois business deals. Aren't you practicing the very same kind of politics that many of the others on this stage have engaged in?”

OBAMA: “Well, not all, we have thousands of donors. This donor engaged in some ethical (sic) behavior and I have denounced it. But I have a track record of bringing people around this new kind of politics, since I was in the state legislature…”

You don’t need to read the rest because Obama deftly shifted the conversation away from Rezko, and Williams let him get away with it.

In addition to covering Obama’s shady land deal with Rezko, which I have discussed in previous updates, The Chicago Sun-Times article revealed a new twist in Obama’s relationship with Rezko, a loyal donor to Obama’s campaigns. Obama reportedly helped Rezko snag $43 million in government funding to renovate dozens of low income housing structures owned by Rezko. Whatever Rezko did with the money, he apparently had no interest in fixing the properties, which are decrepit and beset with code violations. In fact, many of the tenants, who live in Obama’s former State Senate district, were forced to endure a brutal Chicago winter without any heat.

By the way, just in case you were wondering, Hillary was apparently let off the hook again with respect to her corrupt history as First Lady and as New York Senator.

Not one question about Hillary’s role in a scandal involving the sale of taxpayer-funded trade missions in exchange for campaign contributions. Nothing about her “factually false” testimony to the Travelgate criminal grand jury. Nothing about cattle futures. Nothing about Whitewater and missing billing records. Nothing about her New York Senate campaign finance operation’s failure to report $700,000 in contributions. And nothing about her recent failure to report her role on the Clinton Family Foundation on her Senate financial disclosure documents for five years.

(Click here [PDF] to check out the brochure: “10-Plus Questions for Hillary Clinton” if you want to see the type of questions I would have asked.)

The issue of ethics loomed large in the last election cycle as the Democrats took control of Congress. And according to a recent poll sponsored by Judicial Watch in partnership with Zogby International, “69% of likely voters strongly agree with the statement: 'Corruption is a significant problem in Washington.'” The public wants to know where these candidates stand on ethics. The topic deserves more attention that one question to one candidate in a 90-minute debate.

Tom Fitton is president of Judicial Watch, Inc., a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.