Posted on 12/09/2008 5:11:41 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Axe ripped Fitzgerald’s patronage purge By: Kenneth P. Vogel December 9, 2008 07:08 PM EST
Patrick Fitzgerald’s charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich have drawn a chorus of shock and outrage.
But Barack Obama’s message man David Axelrod once staked out a much more nuanced position on Fitzgerald’s anti-corruption crusade.
In a 2005 op-ed, Axelrod argued, in effect, that trading political favors – including jobs – is part of the grease that makes government work.
He ripped Fitzgerald at the time for trying “to use the criminal code to enforce (his) vision” of “entirely remov(ing) politics from government.”
The piece in the Chicago Tribune was prompted by Fitzgerald’s indictment of aides to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley for conspiring to give city jobs as political favors. Daley was Axelrod’s client at the time.
Axelrod stressed he wasn’t condoning the test-rigging or document shredding Fitzgerald alleged in that case.
Of course, the specifics of the 2005 case differ from the one Fitzgerald unveiled Tuesday, in which federal prosecutors accuse Blagojevich of trying to auction off Obama’s Senate seat and being involved in a wide-ranging pay-to-play scheme.
Still, Axelrod’s musings make for an interesting read while Obama – no doubt with Axelrod’s assistance – formulates a strategy for dealing with the Blagojevich case, which doesn’t implicate Obama.
“The democratic process is often messy,” Axelrod wrote in the op-ed. “Diverse constituencies fight fiercely for their priorities. Their elected representatives use the influence they have to meet those needs, including sometimes the exchange of favors – consideration for jobs being just one.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I’m with TVdinners - who is going to touch “the one?” Particularly in light of the fact that he’s about to take over everything?
And it’s the current path to the Presidency...we need hard core conservatives to become community organizers as well. We’re pretty voiceless as it stands.
that’s the one...for some reason my Windows XP wont pull up long URLS when I right click on Properties
I think it is bizarre the Obamanazi is claiming he hadn’t talked with the disgraced governor. It would have been normal for him to do so...
but it would be on tape if he had..
I am suspicious of this whole thing..since Fitzgerald could have waited for a few more weeks to get more dirt.
That picture should be on a Caption this thread.
The entire country, aside from the 20% of diehards, will be watching him very closely and reading between all of the lines. He lost any goodwill and honeymoon period granted to a new President. This is unprecedented!
This saved us from the aggressive liberal agenda they planned to push through an unsuspecting public in the first months of his Presidency.
What a wonderful early Christmas present.
But he said that two weeks ago - prior to this tarring Obama.
I am quite certain they are all going through all of their interviews and written materials about right now before the press does.
There will be more back-pedaling, and during a slow news month, this couldn’t come at a better time!
So, let’s hear it for independent counsel??
Joe Biden.
for insiders.
Not really. If you have the media on your side like he does unless it can be tracked directly to him with no wiggle room and the evidence is overwhelming from approved sources (approved by the media) he’s going to get off scott free. It won’t even dent the halo the media has given him.
“This whole “I was mistaken” bit today does not pass the smell test.”
No, it does not.
-sigh-
It’s going to be a loooooong four years.
Unless Fitz is on a time table and has to have part of his investigation finished by say December 15th. Wants to give BlanK=OH and his wife time to co-operate. WIfe has already lost her income when Revco was indicted....IIRC went from six figure to 0. Revco was the only customer of her real estate business.
astroturfing your way into the oval office! No one better at it than axeldork.
Right: there can’t be any explicit quid pro quo, but you can grant favors and hope for gratitude or a reinforcement of mutual interest later on. But you can’t say, “I’ll give you this if you give me that.”
“Patrick Fitzgerald’s charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich have drawn a chorus of shock and outrage.”
“Against Blagojevich or Fitzgerald? ;)”
I am sure from Axelrod to Fitzgerald! Axelrod was Daley’s lawyer when Fitzgerald was taking on Daley’s aids. Bet Fitzgerald knows all to well about Axelrod and Obama and will provide the rope they need to finish the job! Won’t be long and Blagojevich will join Rezco in a nice chorus of crying and rapid talking!! Oh happy days!!:)
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