July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones has a photo of Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone on his wall, and he uses the theme music from ``The Godfather'' as his cell- phone ring tone.

Jones, 72, is the political godfather of 2008. He mentored Barack Obama through his career in the state legislature, paving the way for his ascent to a U.S. Senate seat and the Democratic presidential nomination.

``I look upon him as a son and you want to see the best for your kids,'' Jones, who represents a predominantly black district on Chicago's South Side, said in an interview at the State Capitol in Springfield.

The two men, who met in 1985 when Obama was a community organizer in Chicago, didn't get off to an auspicious start. Obama once described Jones, a holdover from the machine-politics era of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, as an ``old ward heeler.'' When Obama made his first successful run for the state Senate in 1996, Jones supported his opponent. In 2000, when Obama ran unsuccessfully for an Illinois U.S. House seat against incumbent Bobby Rush, Jones didn't back him.

Their relationship took a different turn after that defeat and Obama, 46, sought Jones's advice on reviving his political career. Jones had earlier urged the three-year state senator to venture outside his Chicago social sphere and forge ties with both Democrats and Republicans from across Illinois. He now also helped Obama build a legislative record by making him the sponsor of high-profile bills, including a death-penalty overhaul.

`Relationships'

``I told him rarely does a piece of legislation pass based on its merits; it's based on relationships,'' said Jones, who has a smoker's baritone, gravelly voice. ``Giving a great speech on the floor doesn't help get a vote passed, people generally vote for the sponsor of the bill.''

By following that advice, Jones and other colleagues said, Obama showed he was more of a pragmatist than an idealist and more of a doer than a dreamer. On the campaign trail, he touts his eight-year record in the Illinois Senate as evidence of his political flexibility, bipartisan approach and ability to take on tough challenges.

Learning From `Mistakes'

``If something doesn't work you cut your losses and move on and don't spend a lot of time dwelling on it,'' Obama said in a July 5 interview. ``Learn from your mistakes and then try something else.''

He also gives much of the credit to Jones. In 2004, after winning the Democratic nomination for his U.S. Senate seat, Obama called his mentor ``my political godfather,'' a label Jones has proudly adopted.

Obama showed he understood that ``sometimes you have to change for you to accomplish what you want to accomplish,'' Jones said. ``There's nothing wrong with that; he is that type of person.''

Colleagues in the state Senate attest to that willingness to compromise. Republican Kirk Dillard, even appeared in an Obama campaign ad to praise the Democrat's help on a bipartisan ethics bill, even though he backs Arizona Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Jones said Obama's ties in Springfield weren't forged only in the Capitol. He also attended a weekly poker game, dubbed the ``Subcommittee Meeting,'' with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and lobbyists at the home of fellow Democratic legislator Terry Link.

``Politics was left at the door,'' Link said.

Harvard Pedigree

Both Jones and Link said one of Obama's main challenges was to overcome the perception created by his Harvard law degree that he was aloof or haughty.

``I think some people didn't want to know him because they felt afraid of him because of his education,'' Link said.

Jones said his advice to form all types of relationships has carried Obama throughout his political career. During Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate run, it allowed him to garner support in southern Illinois's ``sundown towns,'' which weren't hospitable to a black candidate.

``A sundown town is the type of town where if you are black you better get out of town by sundown,'' Jones said. Obama also demonstrated this ability in the presidential race, he added.

``I'm not surprised how successful he has been in this campaign,'' Jones said. Obama's opponents mistakenly ``thought he wouldn't go to places like Idaho or Kansas or Utah, that he wouldn't be able to garner any support even in Iowa.''

Jones said he knew Obama had a serious shot at the presidency in 2004, when as a little-known U.S. Senate candidate he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic national convention.

`Don't Worry'

That morning, Jones said, they met for breakfast. ``He said `don't worry, man -- I'll do you guys good.'''

A little later, in an elevator with other convention delegates, Jones said he was asked what state he was from.

A woman looked at an Obama button he was wearing and said, ```you are from Alabama.'''

``They didn't know who in the hell he was,'' Jones said. ``But after he gave that speech, folks are running around begging for their Obama buttons. I felt so good that tears starting rolling down my eyes.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Chipman in Springfield, Illinois at kchipman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 17, 2008 00:01 EDT