The media might have spent the whole of the election season covering up Barack Obama's upbringing in Chicago politics, but the Feds won't play ball, so they are forced to cover the frog-marching of Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich down to the lockup. Still, although the most the media is willing to admit to is that this whole unwelcome distraction is wasting Mr. Obama's precious time, one cannot imagine - especially in Illinois - that the senator and his home state's sitting governor didn't have at least a few conversations on the topic of succession.
Apparently, even Obama's people are willing to admit such:
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."
Of course, now Alxerod claims to have "misspoke", which is poli-talk for "inadvertantly telling the truth". So now that we have settled that, we have this:
But there remain questions about how Blagojevich knew that Mr. Obama was not willing to give him anything in exchange for the Senate seat -- with whom was Blagojevich speaking? Did that person report the governor to the authorities?
And, it should be pointed out, Mr. Obama has a relationship with Mr. Blagojevich, having not only endorsed Blagojevich in 2002 and 2006, but having served as a top adviser to the Illinois governor in his first 2002 run for the state house.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., Mr. Obama's incoming White House chief of staff....told the New Yorker earlier this year 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 two."
Of course, now Emanuel claims to have misspoke - sorry, he "later changed his recollection of this story". No doubt.
Change? Does reverting back to late 19th-early 20th century criminal politics constitute change? Or is it "change" as in, " I am changing my recollection..."
I guess...it's just not change I can believe in...
3 comments:
What I want to know is why Fitzgerald did not allow this to continue and wait for Blago to name someone to the seat?
Here's a complete hunch... maybe he stopped it before Obama could have been involved. Not saying that he would have but maybe they just didn't want to find that out or let that happen for fear of the damage it would do the country.
Again, pure speculation on my part. But nonehtless I'll want to hear the rationale for arresting him when they did.
Seems like a lot of people are asking that question, GSP - see here for a take on it:
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YjI3ODM1YWNlYzY5YTU2MTgwMDY0MjU3MDA2ZmZhNGE=
Was it a Chicago Tribune leak that forced Fitzgerald's hand? A fear, as you suggest, that a questionable Senator and a new President under a cloud would do more harm to the nation than good? Or was Fitzgerald afraid he would be fired once the new administration came in?
And which instinct will the media follow - to throw their bodies in front of Barack Obama (and their reputations out the window), or to dig deep into what promises to be a tale of greed, deception, and corruption at the highest levels?
'M's comment is spam RWN.
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