Posted on 12/11/2008 2:26:46 AM PST by JohnHuang2
"I'm from Chicago," Barack Obama used to tell voters wondering whether he was tough enough to win the presidency, drawing laughs for referring to rough-and-tumble - and often corrupt - politics in his hometown.
But the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich on charges of trying to sell Mr. Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder is probably not what the president-elect had in mind.
Authorities stressed that Mr. Obama was not involved in the far-flung corruption probe, but a 76-page FBI affidavit mentions a top Obama adviser who will be a senior White House staffer, a prominent labor union that worked for his candidacy, convicted felon and former Obama fundraiser Tony Rezko, and Washington-based consultants.
Within hours, lawmakers from both parties were calling for Mr. Blagojevich's resignation and Republicans were trying to exploit the scandal by demanding that Mr. Obama offer more details about his relationship with the disgraced governor.
Related stories: Blagojevich returns work day after arrest and Illinois governor charged with bribery
"We're at an all-time low in our state," said Rep. Bobby L. Rush, Illinois Democrat.
The Illinois legislature was expected to call for a special election to fill the vacant Senate seat, a move that drew praise from some but which Mr. Rush said would put black candidates at a disadvantage.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Obama hits 'Reboot Image', activates Blago transfer file software
At the rate this is going, there may be no unindicted Democrat left in Illinois to fill Obama's seat. There's so much Democrat corruption in Illinois that even a Republican could win an election.
Fearing this, every Senate Democrat today signed a letter by Sen. Harry Reid -- addressed to Blagojevich -- demanding that he resign in order to avoid an election for Obama's seat. Among the risks of holding an election, Illinois could have a real Senator for a change.
Instead, Reid wants the Lt. Governor making the appointment, which is a reversal from his position a day earlier. Maybe we can finally get Democrats to repeal the 17th Amendment.
Meanwhile, Obama says this isn't the Blagojevich he knew, calling on him (a day late) to resign, and insisting he did not have contact with that Governor.
Being totally fair and objective, the press twisted itself into a pretzel trying to tie Ken Lay to Bush during the Enron brouhaha, so now we are told to believe that Obama never once spoke with the governor of his own state about his own Senate seat. There were supposedly no Blago-Obama meetings but Blago called Obama a [bleeping bleeper] after the Blago-Obama meetings they didn't have.
Yet, in an interview on Fox News Chicago on November 23, Obama honcho David Axelrod said "I know [Obama'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." After ABC's Jake Tapper posted a story quoting those words, an Obama Transition Team hack said that Axelrod misspoke. They just remembered!
The media are even insisting Obama and Blago have never ever been close. This must be why Obama served as one of Blago's top advisers in his first (successful) run for governor in 2002. In the summer of that year, then-state Sen. Obama told a Chicago TV show that "Right now, my main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as Governor." In contrast, the misspeaking Axelrod refused to work for Blago at the time, concerned that his one-time client wasn't ready for the gig.
Earlier this year, Rahm Emanuel -- who, like Obama, was a top adviser in Blago's 2002 campaign -- was quoted in the New Yorker saying that he and Obama "participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor. We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these other two."
In 2006, during Blago's reelection run, subpoenas from Patrick Fitzgerald were landing all over the Blago administration. A plethora of state agencies were being probed for "endemic hiring fraud." In response, Obama endorsed Blago for reelection.
"We've got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois," Obama said at a rally at the Illinois State Fair in August 2006. Blago returned the favor by reserving the Old State Capitol for Obama's presidential announcement. Clearly, Obama and Blago weren't close.
Which is the part and parcel absurdity in Obama's lame-o 'just another guy in the neighborhood, no direct contact with that Governor, was only 47 years old' alibi. Obama could simply have said, 'sure, I've talked to the Governor about a broad range of issues, including naming a replacement to my Senate seat, but in none of our conversations was anything improper even considered.' Being painfully stupid, Obama instead opted for the blanket denial of ANY meeting and ANY contact, forcing his shoulder-parrots in the media to go to insane lengths to run interference. KHQA TV in North Korea, Ill., went as far as to take down a print story they ran a month ago on their Connect Tristates website about a scheduled Blago-Obama meeting, claiming the station misspoke:
"KHQA wishes to offer a clarification regarding a story that appeared last month on our website . . . The story housed in our website archive was on the morning of November 5, 2008. It suggested that a meeting was scheduled later that day between President Elect Obama and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. KHQA has no knowledge that any meeting ever took place."But, just three days after the original story, the station misspoke again! In a November 8 article entitled, "Duckworth comments on consideration for Senate," Alexis Hunt (not the same reporter who authored the November 5 story) wrote that "Obama met with Governor Rod Blagojevich earlier this week to discuss" naming a replacement to his seat. Then today, after a few bloggers spotted the follow-up article, the Kim Jong-Illinois station took that one down, too. I feel this tingle up my leg.
Anyway, that's...
My Two Cents...
"JohnHuang2"
Thanks for posting what emounts to ammo. For my christmas wish, I want to see lib mouths froth. Keep posting, keep us up to date, in spec, and on the grid. And yes Thanx.
Bobby, Bobby. This is business as usual for you. You ARE the all-time low for Illinois; you and your Cook County machine cohorts. You've been that for years. Blago is just a little less adept at keeping it under wraps.
>>Fearing this, every Senate Democrat today signed a letter by Sen. Harry Reid — addressed to Blagojevich — demanding that he resign in order to avoid an election for Obama’s seat.<<
Blowjobevich is very reluctant to resign. Perhaps afraid that will make him “look guilty.” LOL.
This is a gift to Republicans.
Is this the Bobby Rush, well-known street thug, hustler and pimp that was prominent as a Black Panther? How perfectly appropriate that he is both an elected Democrat official in Chicago and a defender of B.O.
Brilliant.
Obama has built his career on a house of cards like Gov.Blago. If any of the cards collapse, his hypocracies, lying and cheating will be exposed. It is so sad that he has to live everyday fearing who is going to open his mouth. Good punishement for him. Good thing Google is in the bags for him. Everytime a controversy strikes, he can just call Google to delete all the links, pictures and blogs. You can only cover up so much. He will be caught in his own game sooner or later.
The repubics will screwup this gift just like they do everything else.
Yep. That's congressmanBobby Rush for ya...
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