“Obama, who is not close to Blagojevich, has said he intends to stay out of the discussion about a successor.”
BS!! They were spinning way back then because they knew it was going to hit the fan! GREAT CATCH maggie!! OBAMA and BLAG ‘not close’..but he just was an advisor to his run for Governor in 2002. Oh yeah!... (CUE GIANT EYE ROLL)
OBAMA is close to people until they get caught! Notice how that works?
You bet they were spinning/going on record, using both the Chicago Trib and the WaPo.
Off to do a little more research ...
Targeting the 11/12 - 11/14 time period.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-obama-senate14nov14,0,552031.story
Governor pushed to pick Obama ‘s replacement - Senate resignation takes effect on Sunday
Chicago Tribune (IL) - Friday, November 14, 2008
Author: Rick Pearson and John McCormick, TRIBUNE REPORTERS
President-elect Barack Obama ‘s decision to step down from his U.S. Senate seat Sunday has ratcheted up the pressure on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to name a successor more quickly than planned, sources close to the governor said Thursday.
No decision is expected before the U.S. Senate begins its lame-duck session on Monday, sources familiar with the governor’s deliberations said. Blagojevich has only said he would name a successor before the end of the year, and his office declined comment Thursday.
“Obviously, it will speed things up,” said one source close to Blagojevich , who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak about the selection process. “But this is about picking a U.S. senator. This will still be a very deliberative process.”
(snip)
..
Before Obama ‘s announcement, his friend and U.S. Senate colleague from Illinois, Dick Durbin, said he was seeking a meeting with Blagojevich to discuss Durbin’s list of potential successors.”I really hope that the governor will be picking someone who can serve the state rather than [be] the caretaker or someone who is, you know, trying to put some last line on their resume,” said Durbin, a Democrat and the state’s senior senator. “I don’t want to see that happen. I’d like to see him pick someone who can really help me and help our state.”
Though he didn’t name names, Durbin’s warning appeared directed at lobbying efforts for the job by retiring Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Blagojevich ‘s closest ally in the legislature, as well as another close friend of the governor, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago.
(snip)