Posted on 12/09/2008 2:16:06 PM PST by COUNTrecount
"Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney's office today," said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint against Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich for corruption. "But as this is a ongoing investigation involving the governor I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time."
Asked what contact he'd had with the governor's office about his replacement in the Senate, President-elect Obama today said "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening."
But on November 23, 2008, his senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on Fox News Chicago and said something quite different.
While insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid being a "kingmaker," Axelrod said, "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
Saddened that Blago got nabbed because it hits close to home, sobered by the thought he could be next....
Nice picture!
Snort
In this Aug. 17, 2005, file photo Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, left, laughs with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich during Governor's Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Ill. Blagojevich was roused from bed and arrested Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008, after prosecutors said he was caught on wiretaps audaciously scheming to sell now President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for cash or a plum job for himself in the new administration. (AP Photo/Randy Squires, File)
Call me cynical, but I only live 75 miles from that cesspool in Cook Co. If Blago’s out, it because the dems want him out. Look, they’ve even got people feeling sorry for the Chicago Tribune for being supposedly shaken down by a democrat govenor. And what about the poor, poor Children’s Memorial Hospital? If they don’t throw Blago out for trying to sell the chosen one’s senate seat, then they HAVE to do it for the children. Sounds so liberal to me. And the media just seems to be having too much fun with this over a democrat getting caught. What also sounded weird to me is, that earlier this month Durbin wanted Bush to commute Geo. Ryan’s prison sentence. Why? IL is so corrupt.
The dems will throw Blago out and come out smelling like roses, and the media, which has lost a lot of credibility, will try to salvage some of it back.
Blago has been around Chi-town politics (i.e., Dem politics) for a long time. He's also someone, if the transcripts are any indication, who's got no principles or moral fiber. That makes him a very dangerous man right now for any Dem who's ever known him. He may go into "trapped rat" mode and start thinking about who he can take down with him, even if he needs to make stuff up. It might be worth it to him to lie, if it meant he could hurt an enemy, even if the enemy was a member of his own party.
I mention this only to suggest that Dems wouldn't have wanted to hasten this day, despite Blago's deep unpopularity in the state. Their own man, a longtime political ally of Blago, is about to enter the WH. It would have been just too risky to purposefully let this blow up.
Fitzgerald was in control and acting independently, IMHO. But he may have cut the thing off prematurely when he saw that The One, or his associates, was about to be drawn into the net.
That is really funny. I even see smoke moving!
Looks like 0 is being given the chance to take himself out before Jan. 20. rather than force him out and risk the fireworks that may ensue.
Potlatch did an incredible job with this graphic.
He really did, I like it.
Thank you much Dave!
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