Posted on 12/09/2008 4:24:12 PM PST by STARWISE
The shocking arrest of Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich for, among other things, all but auctioning off the US Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama's election to the Presidency, poses some very interesting questions, although it is certainly not clear that they will be answered any time soon.
One of those questions clearly has to do with the timing of the arrest and whether it will or was planned to, have the maximal or minimal effect of embarassing the incoming Administration.
Even more interesting is the possible role that Blagojevich's apparent shakedown of the incoming Administration had anything to do with the timing. According to reports Blagojevich stated he was interested in either a cabinet post or at least ambassadorship in exchange for the installation of Obama's favorite candidate for the job, Valerie Jarrett.
Reportedly, if he couldn't get what he wanted, Blagojevich was prepared to install himself in the Senate, speculating that in the event he was indicted, (it was well known that Blagojevich had been under investigation for years), that he would be better able to deal with it as a Senator than as Governor.
Interesting also is whether or not the Blagojevich-Obama campaign dynamic at this summer's DNC in Denver might have been indicative of either the coming indictment or its timing.
Despite his desire to speak at the DNC, Obama made clear his desire that not only should Blagojevich not be allowed to speak the Convention as a whole, but that Obama would prefer it if "Blagojevich stay 200 miles away from Denver" during the DNC.
Clearly even the Illinois delegation was uncomfortable with the Democratic governor to the point that it was Tuesday evening before the Governor traveled to Denver. Ironically, he had spent Monday rewriting an ethics bill that had been unanimously passed by the Illinois State Legislature, a move the legislators vowed to oppose once back in Illinois.
While State Attorney General Lisa Madigan called Blagojevich's absence "noticeably strange," State Representative Jack Franks stated his opinion that the Governor ought to have stayed away from the DNC entirely.
"He's going to be another side show, with his ties to Tony Rezko and Rezko being convicted," Franks was quoted as saying by Chicago Public Radio
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=28502
"that's not something that Barack Obama needs here and we don't need that division."
This morning just as news of the arrest was first announced, KHOW morning drive time talk show host was telling his audience that in light of the Supreme Court's refusal to here (sic) the eligibility question and the fact that he felt like a pummeled fighter whose corner needed to throw in the towel, that he was abandoning the Obama birth certificate controversy.
Whether or not these new questions drag him back into the fray remains to be seen.
What happened with Leo and Cort today?
Did they have a press conference on the steps of SCOTUS?
Joe Thunder talked about being at the
Supreme Court on his show, but I’ve
not found anything about a press conf.
I know Thunder went to the National
Press Club’s gathering.
Throwing people from the back of the bus.
Nope, Fitz didn’t/doesn’t care about wrong or right...he wanted to stop things while he had control and not the FBI. Were ZerO screw up big time and get caught by the FBI, he couldn’t stop that. Why do I say he doesn’t care? All you have to do is look back on his two-year Plame Blame witch hunt. He knew who REALLY leaked her name from the beginning. Scooter is doing time for someone else’s crime, my friend.
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