Daley Entering the Cornbleet Rumble
By Shannon in News on Sep 6, 2007 6:30PM
Obama has done it. Durbin has done it. Now Daley’s gonna do it. The “it” in question? Lobbying for alleged murderer Hans Peterson’s extradition to the United States. The story’s old hat by this point: Peterson supposedly confessed to killing dermatologist Dr. David Cornbleet last October in his office on Michigan Avenue. Unfortunately his confession fell on French ears, as Peterson had fled to the isle of St. Martin, where he invoked his Gallic heritage through his French-born mother. Despite pleas from both Illinois U.S. senators and a public relations black eye, France refuses to give Peterson back to the States so he can stand trial, declaring they won’t extradite a national.
Cue Da Mare. Richard M. is heading over the Atlantic to visit Paris, one of Chicago’s sister cities. Along with checking out how Paris deals with rental bikes, he plans to appeal to mayor Bertrand Delanoë tête-à-tête in order to get Peterson back. This decision comes on the heels of a resolution, passed yesterday by the City Council, to put pressure on French government to return the suspect. Jon Cornbleet, the late doctor’s son, is grateful for the political involvement in the case. He’s adamant about not having the trial in St. Martin, where the U.S. would have no involvement except donation of evidence, and where Peterson’s potential sentence would be much more lenient.
As elated as we are about politicians raising the profile of this case, we’re very wary of siccing Daley on French government. We barely know what he’s saying half the time, both in elucidation and enunciation. His gruff ways, while at home in Chicago, seem like they’d be out of place in France. How will he fare with the cultural barrier? Factor in the delicate situation between the two countries, and … we’re not sure we really want him as our diplomat. That said, with France not budging an inch on the issue, we will still take all the support we can get. We hope we're underestimating the impact Daley can have, mayor to mayor.
Image of Hans Peterson courtesy of the Cornbleets' MySpace page.