~~PING!
Daley machine shenanigans.
Well, let's see. Was Fitz's intent maximal embarrassment or minimal? Hmm? Rather than allowing the exclusively Democratic auction to run it's course and then roll up everyone involved, the Fed's had to crash the party and arrest the auctioneer just before bidding started.
Hmmmm.....so Obama knew nothing about corruption in Chicago, but realized it was highly unwise to be seen with Blago?
Here’s my take...
Obama is now getting briefings on National issues. Maybe investigations of corrupt state governments came up - or was scheduled to come up. The FBI realized that Obama and Blago are buddies. So, he had to be nabbed before BHO would warn him. Blago seemed to know something was going on yesterday based on comments he made. Maybe he already was tipped off...
BHO was at the National Governors Meeting, so was Blago. They met - there is a picture of it online - just can’t find it.
Either way, good job FBI.
Obama is getting pretty adept at throwing people under the bus.
In 2002, Blagojevich ran for his party's nomination to become governor. Blagojevich won a close primary campaign against former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, whose base was largely African-American voters,[citation needed] and Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas, who ran strong in the suburban "collar" counties of Chicago.[citation needed] Blagojevich ran strong in southern Illinois, winning 55% of the primary vote downstate, enough to win a primary victory by a thin margin.[13]
He was endorsed in the race by then-state senator Barack Obama, who also served as a "top adviser" to Blagojevich for the general election.[16] Future Obama senior adviser David Axelrod had previously worked with Blagojevich on Congressional campaigns, but did not consider Blagojevich ready to be governor and declined to work for him on this campaign.[16] According to Rahm Emanuel, Emanuel, Obama, Blagojevich's campaign co-chair David Wilhelm, and another Blagojevich worker "were the top strategists of Blagojevich's 2002 gubernatorial victory," meeting weekly to outline campaign strategies.[16] Wilhelm has said that Emanuel overstated Obama's role in the sessions, and Emanuel said in December 2008 that Wilhelm was correct and he had been wrong in his earlier 2008 recollection.[16)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blagojevich