Mr. Obama said Tuesday that he had never spoken with the governor about the seat, and prosecutors have not implicated Mr. Obama or his advisers. At the same time, Mr. Obama’s team has declined for two days to answer questions about what discussions they had about the seat and whether intermediaries had any contacts with Mr. Blagojevich’s advisers.
What remains to be seen is whether this episode will put an end to what Chicago Tribune political columnist John Kass calls the national media’s “almost willful” fantasy that Mr. Obama and Chicago’s political culture have little to do with each other. Mr. Kass notes that the media devoted a lot more time and energy to investigating the inner workings of Sarah Palin’s Wasilla, Alaska, than it has looking at Mr. Obama’s Chicago connections.
To date, Mr. Obama’s approach to Illinois corruption has been to congratulate himself for dodging association with it. “I think I have done a good job in rising politically in this environment without being entangled in some of the traditional problems of Chicago politics,” he told the Chicago Tribune last spring. At the time, Mr. Obama was being grilled over news that he bought his house through a land deal involving Tony Rezko, a political fixer who was later convicted on 16 corruption counts. Rezko is mentioned dozens of times in the 76-page criminal complaint against Mr. Blagojevich.
Mr. Obama has an ambiguous reputation among those trying to clean up Illinois politics. “We have a sick political culture, and that’s the environment Barack Obama came from,” Jay Stewart, executive director of the Chicago Better Government Association, told ABC News months ago. Though Mr. Obama did support ethics reforms as a state senator, Mr. Stewart noted that he’s “been noticeably silent on the issue of corruption here in his home state including, at this point, mostly Democratic politicians.”
If I kick $50 into the tip jar, Dan, do you promise to go to Make-A-Link classes?
Sorry, DarthRove. Firefox is not showing the page I’m on.
First they have to come up with a story they can all stick to.
My first instinct when Barry said “I” would’ve been to ask “What about your staff? Have any of them had contact with Blago?”
I’m not a Professional Journalist, though. I’m sure Egan could explain how wrong I am.
Sheesh. I had to go to “view source” and search “fallout.”
Thor’s pooter had no comment.
7 questions for our pending transparent, hopey new politics administration.
That bunch of trial
LIARSlawyers is doing what they generally do…Getting their story straight, and distributing the correct talking points to any possible witnesses…
I mean, they’re doin’ the right thing…
Ethics!, Honesty!, Integrity!, Transparency!
O!
Did anyone expect anything different?
“I did not have talks with that man, Rod Blagojevich”. (wags finger)
-Barrack(Barry)Hussain Obama-Soetoro
They will not answer any questions why should they when the press will willingly drop the issue by the time of their next press conference.
Front page of CNN reads “Foreclosures dip”. In other words look fuzzy bunnies!!!11!!!!
If you haven’t been reading the Tribune’s John Kass on this, you’re missing out on some great stuff. I’m still giggling over his recent comment on the press’ credulous belief that the O!Messiah was “perhaps a gentle fawn of a magic forest, unstained by our grubbby politics.” Kass is the only person worth reading at that bankrupt (financially and journalistically) rag.
“To save your shirt you must save your skirts.”
– Jesse Jackson Sr.
“I think I have done a good job in rising politically in this environment without being entangled in some of the traditional problems of Chicago politics,â€Â
~ “The Monkeys know it’s true because they always say it.” -Mogli, The Jungle Book movie-
And, “some”?
Dicentra put it well yesterday at the pub.
To believe that O! was the only clean politician in the midst of the dirty machine, is like believing that any particular woman is the only virgin in the harem…
Malone: “Welcome to Chicago. This town stinks like a whorehouse at low tide.”
And his defenders believe Mr. Obama was the only virgin in that whorehouse.
Obama attended Trinity United for twenty years, and never noticed that its pastor was a BLT fruitcake.
He knew Bill Ayers for most of that period, and all he ever noticed was that he was an ex-hippie college professor.
He spent the entire time enmeshed in Chicago politics, and now is shocked — shocked! — to discover corruption there.
And Sarah Palin is “incurious”.
Regards,
Ric
Shorter: