That could be said by dozens of politicians who have fed on Chicago's political corruption over the years. In this case it comes from James Laski, who once held a high-profile city office but wound up convicted of taking bribes.

In his climb up the political ladder, Laski took some of the same steps as another figure who cut his political teeth in Chicago -- President Barack Obama.

Laski's story, outlined in his book, "My Fall from Grace," is a journey through a venal world that makes Obama's emergence without tarnish seem all the more remarkable.

Chicago politics has always been about "who you know and how much money you can make ... its own style of power and corruption," Laski says in the book. "It's a game that can leave its players morally, ethically and even spiritually bankrupt. I have lived, accepted and thrived off a system that tempted me, betrayed me and ultimately cost me my freedom."

The city's bare-knuckle politics reached its zenith under Mayor Richard J. Daley, who used the Democratic Party political machine to run the town for 21 years until his death in 1976.

Several of his subordinates were jailed, though Daley himself never faced charges. His son, Mayor Richard M. Daley, elected in 1989, wields power more subtly, without the old-style machine methods of his father.

Other Chicago politicians who wound up in jail include Dan Rostenkowski, the once powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee who served 15 months for a scandal in the U.S. House of Representatives post office.

This year, Rod Blagojevich, who climbed the city's political ropes to become governor of Illinois, was impeached and driven from office after being accused of trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Obama. He remains under criminal investigation by a federal prosecutor.

Blagojevich's predecessor as governor, George Ryan, is in jail following a corruption conviction for granting state business to associates in exchange for cash and presents for himself, his family and his friends.

When Obama launched his political career with a run for the state senate, Laski says, he did it the "old-fashioned way" by going to his alderman and party committeeman for endorsements and challenging signatures on petitions filed by would-be opponents.

"He knocked everybody off the ballot and ran unopposed," Laski said.

PROMISED A JOB

In his book Laski recounts how as a college student he was promised a city job by the Democratic precinct captain drumming up votes ahead of a governor's election.

After the election the same party worker told Laski to forget the job, because he had voted for the Republican contender. He had voted absentee but party workers routinely opened such ballots and handed them to election judges.

Party bosses promoted absentee ballots for the elderly and others because they could be steamed open and tampered with. Laski recounts having forged signatures himself on nominating petitions and watched people vote in the names of dead people still on the election rolls. Once, he saw someone vote at several different polling places on the same day.

City officials, under pressure from federal prosecutors, say the abuses which Laski recounts from the 1980s have been rooted out in the last 10 or 15 years.

Have they?

"People have become more sophisticated. But a few years back I was challenging someone's petitions who was running against me for city clerk and the signatures were still forged."

So does it still go on? "Probably on a smaller scale," he said.

Laski was three times elected city clerk, the second highest elected position in city government, and often clashed with Mayor Daley.

In his third term, he was caught in a scandal. A program where trucks were leased to the city had been abused to line the pockets of their owners rather than to do real work.

He pleaded guilty to taking $48,000 in payoffs, served 11 months in federal prison, and was released in August 2007.

"I was on top of the world. I was thinking about running for Congress. People said I could have run for mayor. I made a mistake. I had a long-time friend who I helped and he said 'Jim, thanks for your help. You're going on vacation. Here's a thousand dollars.'"

"Chicago's brand of politics is more of a blood sport," Laski said. "The Chicago head of the FBI says there are more agents here than in any other city in the country. Is that a coincidence?

"We've prosecuted and sent to prison probably 25 to 30 aldermen over the last 30 years, two city clerks, three governors, a host of commissioners, judges, city workers, a city treasurer. I don't know if we just don't get it. Is there something in the water?"