Today’s newspapers seem to be relatively quiet on the bogus Obama stock story, but it’s worth noting a Chicago Tribune article that supports the explanation that Obama’s broker bought the same stocks for both clients:

The arrangement with his UBS broker began not long after Obama signed a $1.9 million three-book deal in December 2004. He said the bulk of his advance went toward purchase of a new home in Hyde Park. Obama said in an interview that he turned to a personal friend and political supporter, George Haywood, for help in deciding how to invest the remainder.

“This was very casual,” Obama said, recalling that he said, “`George, I’ve got $100,000 that I’m interested in doing more [with] than the standard mutual fund. What recommendations or suggestions do you have?’ He said, `Why don’t you go with this stockbroker who has worked well with me in the past?’”

Obama said he met with the stockbroker, whom he declined to identify.

“What I said was, `George told me that you could invest in slightly higher-risk stock choices,’ and that I didn’t want to know anything about it,” Obama said. “He provided us with the standard form where they ask you, `What’s your risk tolerance?’ and `How long do you expect to hold these stocks?’ etc. That was the extent of the conversations.”

Obama said he did not give the broker specific directions about where to put the money.

…Obama said it is not surprising that the broker bought the same stocks for him and Haywood, also one of his clients. Haywood referred him to the broker in the first place, Obama said, and so it makes sense that he might choose the same stocks for one client that he recommended for another.

A footnote to the story — Obama, a longtime smoker, apparently did not want to invest in tobacco stocks:

Obama said he didn’t invest in a qualified blind trust because it wouldn’t enable him to limit which companies he invested in, such as those in the tobacco industry and other areas that he did not want to support.

It’s great that Obama didn’t want to invest in tobacco companies, but obviously every time he lit up he was supporting them.