Obama Dishes on Blago, the Oath of Office, and Other News
EmailThe President-elect sat for an interview with esteemed reporters from the beleaguered Tribune Company yesterday — Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons of the LA Times and John McCormick of the Chicago Tribune.
First and foremost, PEBO says, "I have not discussed the Senate seat with the governor at any time. My strong belief is that it needed to be filled by somebody who is going to represent the people of Illinois and fight for them. And beyond that, I was focused on the transition."
As for questions about conversations between Gov. Blagojevich or his chief of staff John Harris with any of Mr. Obama’s top aides, the President-elect said, "Let me stop you there because… it’s an ongoing…. investigation. I think it would be inappropriate for me to, you know, remark on the situation beyond the facts that I know. And that’s the fact that I didn’t discuss this issue with the governor at all."
Asked if he has a spiritual advisor, Mr. Obama says, "You know, one of the wonderful things that we did during the campaign was to set up sort of a prayer circle across the country, of pastors who, from all denominations, all religious faiths, who would every morning, a few of them would get on the phone and pray for me. Sometimes I’d get on the phone. And, you know, they’re made up of people as diverse as, you know, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, Joseph Lowery, just a wonderful collection of people and, by the way, across the political spectrum. I’m not even sure that all of them voted for me. But they were willing to pray for me. And that’s something that was wonderful.
"Michelle and I have not found a home church since we left Trinity [United Church of Christ]. And it didn’t make sense for us to join one now, right before we’re about to move. So, I’m reliant on the pastors who are friends of mine and who I talk to for support and my own prayer life at home…we will definitely find a church to attend in D.C., and we frankly haven’t thought about it yet because right now we’re just trying to make sure that we don’t lose anything in the move, including our children."
Of his pledge to speak to the Muslim world in an Islamic capital, Obama said that is "something that I intend to follow through on. What the time frame is, how we structure that, you know, is something that I will determine with my national security team in the coming weeks and months. But I think we’ve got a unique opportunity to reboot America’s image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular. So, we need to take advantage of that and the message I want to send is that we will be unyielding in stamping out the kind of terrorist extremism that we saw in Mumbai. We will be at the same time unrelenting in our desire to create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership with countries and peoples of goodwill who want their citizens and ours to prosper together. And I think that the world is ready for that message."
No date for that, though.
Also, Mr. Obama intends to be sworn in as "Barack Hussein Obama," saying "I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition, not trying to make a statement one way or the other. I’ll do what everybody else does."
(Actually, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were sworn in as such.)
He intends to keep his Chicago home. "Let me explain to you, my Kennebunkport is on the South Side of Chicago. We own one piece of property, and that is our home in Chicago. It is 10 minutes away from where Michelle grew up and where her mother still has a house. Our friends are here. Our family is here. And so we are going to try to come back here as often as possible. My expectation would be that, depending on what my schedule looks like, you know, we’re going to try to get back here at least once every six weeks or couple months."
About his attorney general nominee’s role in the Marc Rich pardon, PEBO says, "With respect to Eric Holder, everybody who looks at his record says the guy was an outstanding attorney, an outstanding prosecutor, an outstanding judge, an outstanding No. 2 at the Justice Department. And Eric has acknowledged that the [Marc] Rich pardon was a mistake on his part, not having caught that earlier. I agree with him. I think it was a mistake. But when you look at the totality of his experience, there is no doubt that he is going to be an outstanding attorney general."
About criticisms from liberal activists that his White House and Cabinet picks have been too centrist, the President-elect says, "look, I have chosen the people who I think are best equipped to carry out an agenda of change. And people haven’t been arguing somehow that my agenda has changed, because it hasn’t. …all the promises I made during the campaign, there has been no sense that I’m backing off on them. What I’ve been putting in place is a Cabinet of extraordinarily qualified, competent people who would not have accepted my offer for them to join my administration unless they believed in my vision, and I think the proof of the pudding is going to be in what we get done."
– jpt
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Has anyone else noticed the man is already getting grey hair. Geeze he has noteven been sowrn in yet.
Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | December 10, 2008, 9:26 am 9:26 am
BJ Clinton 2.0. Just nowhere near as good of a liar.
Posted by: bill-tb | December 10, 2008, 9:32 am 9:32 am
Obama is dirty,,, just look at the company he keeps.
He’s just like Bush
Posted by: Tra la la | December 10, 2008, 9:34 am 9:34 am
Jake – FYI, 2 presidents not using their middle names “(Actually, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were sworn in as such.)” does not mean the tradition does not exist.
Your inclusion of your deep inights after Obama’s quote tries to state that Obama was wrong.
He is not wrong. Your are wrong. It is tradition to use middle names. 2 recent presidents not doing so does NOT negate history.
Posted by: mk3872 | December 10, 2008, 9:43 am 9:43 am
This is a typical “pol” dance, words that don’t really say anything, mentioning his children to deflect, ect.
Posted by: Vivi | December 10, 2008, 9:49 am 9:49 am
Hey, Tra la la:
There are a lot of things you can say about Barack, but that he is just like Bush is not one of them.
Many people have met Blago and tried to work with him but that doesn’t make them “dirty” as you put it. Blago’s cheese may have slipped from his cracker, but that doesn’t mean the whole state or President-elect Obama are in his inner circle or agree with him.
Before you make such grand, all-knowing pronouncements, it might be good if you had some first-hand knowledge, verifiable evidence, or some other thing to back them up.
Posted by: Southern IL | December 10, 2008, 9:52 am 9:52 am
White House Doggerel
Obama’s drama’s wearing thin,
despite the birthday suit he’s in.
And really he deserves much worse
than to be ridiculed in verse.
Posted by: Belle Starr | December 10, 2008, 9:55 am 9:55 am
Now that didn’t take long.
Posted by: TruthBeTold | December 10, 2008, 10:02 am 10:02 am
Wow. Tra la la. You name kind of demonstates your IQ level
Blago was cursing Obama out. The man SAID that Obama is going to give him nothing but APPRECIATION. Wow what great company Obama is keeping with someone who is making obsenities about his mother.
Blago is a
Stupid man
Greedy man
Corrupt man
Sad man
Example that all the above are not only the hallmarks of the GOP
You folks just dont get it. Obama didnt have the luxury of being born with a silver spoon in his mouth like our current president. Insulated from all the below-the-line shady individuals like the rezkos and the blagos and the ayers of the world. No he was in cahoots with all the above-the-law individual like the carlyle group and osama bin laden himself.
I applaud Obama for traversing his way through the cesspool of shady characters with his goals in tact and his honor and credibility unscathed.
We have been through a two-year presidential campaign and Obama has had everything thrown at him including the kitchen sink. Even in a the post-election, this is no different. And likewise he will rise above this too leaving the right wingnut aghast that their futile low-road baseless accusations travel across the bridge to nowhere.
Question: Where would you be today if you ran away from everyone who was a shady character. Heck that is the majority of business people and politicians.
The jury is still out to whether Obama will be more of the same corrupt sistem. HE HASN’T EVEN BEEN SWORN IN YET. So the jury has yet to convene.
What I do know is that he as demonstrated the integrity the intelligence and the passion to be my President.
Many out there may beg to differ so I simply say GET OVER IT. He is going to be our next President WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.
I am tempted to ask for you not to continue a witch hunt in some way trying to tie Obama to this but I must realize that that is a rational request
Posted by: Omentum | December 10, 2008, 10:19 am 10:19 am
He flip flops on all answers – at least with the ones he answers
Posted by: jill | December 10, 2008, 10:19 am 10:19 am
He dyed his hair for the campaign trail..
Posted by: socalindep | December 10, 2008, 10:30 am 10:30 am
Thanks Blago
Just when the GOP was really pondering if they were REALLY scumbags out of touch with America, ready to consider talking about changing their ways and you snapped them back to their ignorant, lunatic, schoolyard ways.
Thanks Blago.
Posted by: Omentum | December 10, 2008, 10:33 am 10:33 am
Actually mk3872…If you are speaking of history, most of our earlier Presidents did not have middle names, as we progress through history, some only had initials..If you are basing tradition on historical events, you are wrong…Me, I don’t care what our new President cares to call himself, I am only concerned how he conducts himself in office..
Posted by: socalindep | December 10, 2008, 10:42 am 10:42 am
With all the Clinton’s around him you’d think he’d know it shouldn’t be “And that’s the fact that I didn’t discuss this issue with the governor at all.”
Should’ve said: “I did not have senate seat discussions with that man.”
Posted by: Spade | December 10, 2008, 10:48 am 10:48 am
By the time Obama leaves office his nose will reach to Europe!!! WHAT A LIAR!!!
Posted by: lovingpolitics | December 10, 2008, 10:52 am 10:52 am
You’ve got to love people like Omentum. Obama wasn’t born with a “silver spoon” in his mouth, or at least not a big enough one, and so he can do stuff like direct million of dollars into a project run by Tony Rezko ( and get a nice $300,000 kickback in return ) and still have integrity. And no, the jury has been in on Obama for some time.. he was corrupt in state government and he was corrupt in national government.. there’s no reason to believe he’ll change into a decent person.
To answer your question… I’ve been offered bribes by “shady characters” and I didn’t take them. Just because they’re there doesn’t mean we have to lower ourselves to their level. Obama could have done that, but he didn’t.. he took the money. Where would this country be if we were all as dishonest as Obama?
Posted by: howwouldiknow | December 10, 2008, 11:10 am 11:10 am
Somebody is a liar “He met with Blago to discuss his successor
Sort of makes liars of Obama and all of his minions. Axelrod actually told the truth in the November 23, interview, contrary to the spin.
Posted by: Bigtime | December 10, 2008, 11:42 am 11:42 am
It is hilarious that people are waiting for some reason to attack the most influential person that we’ve experienced in a long time, President-elect Obama. All the talk of support, when he won the election by a landslide, what a joke!
If all members of government were penalized for their “friendships” and associations we would have no one to govern this country. The Republican party is quick to jump on the indiscretions of others when they haven more often than not, been proven to be the least law-abiding of us all!
I am sure that this scandal is going to give Fox news and that ditz Elisabeth Hasslebeck something to talk about, it won’t be honest and fair reporting, but they aren’t known for honesty and fairness!
Some of you posters are so pathetic.
Posted by: Teresa | December 10, 2008, 11:51 am 11:51 am
Simple observation .. It’s been 5 weeks since the election and only now there is a newspaper interview.
Posted by: Neo | December 10, 2008, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm
Obama intends to keep each of his campaign promises…including the ones he has changed along the way. What’s the matter with reporters at the Chicago Tribune–can’t they ask him to clarify?
Posted by: Mandrake | December 10, 2008, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm
The dirt on Obama is just beginning. Tony Rezko is still singing and sooner or later Obama will be given up so he can avoid jail time. Mr. Obama will also be the star of scandals involving the political corruption and bribery associated with Broadway bank and their ties to Alexi Giannoulias, the treasurer of Illinois. However, it isn’t just Obama’s ties to Illinois that will be problematic. He will also ultimately have to answer to charges of corruption for his campaign financing. He purposefully removed verification processes from his online credit card solicitations. It will also be shown that he received numerous donations from foreign sources in direct conflict with the Hatch Act.
If you are one of those who bought into the hype of Barack Obama I am truly sorry for you. The next 2-4 years will be very painful.
Posted by: James | December 10, 2008, 1:48 pm 1:48 pm
Obama shouldn’t be dishing on anyone when he has so many questionable actions in his past. The Obama hype has already started to give way to the same old corruption, political arrogance, and deceit.
Posted by: Fred | December 10, 2008, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm
Wow Amazing all the Right wing nut Obama haters on board here, lying twisting,Spewing Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh BS about President Elect Obama,truly laughable the Man is not even in office yet and you people are trying to pin everything you can so far as blaming him for the corrupt chicago politicans, but you know whats even more funny then that Look at Bush,Mccain,Palin,Rumsfeld,Rice,Rove pretty much the whole Republican Party stenches of CORRUPTION, The whole Bush Administration and you Hannity Limbaugh cult followers want to lie spin and twist about Barack Obama laughable just Laughable!
Posted by: ANGIE | December 10, 2008, 2:01 pm 2:01 pm
There were many things in that interview that could be emphasized in this blog and weren’t. Here’s some of what Jake Tapper points out in order.
1)Obama hasn’t picked one spiritual adviser but has several from different religions.
2)Obama hasn’t picked a new church yet.
3)He plans to speak in an Islamic capital as President.
4) By the way, his middle name is Huessein!
Gee…how subtle. Jake Tapper, the stealth Rush Limbaugh, strikes again!
Posted by: Will | December 10, 2008, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
WE JUST HAVE TO REMIND OURSELVES THAT THIS IS NOT MAN’S DOING THIS IS DEVINE APPOINTEMENT AS FAR AS OBAMA’S PRESIDENCY. THERE IS MORE TO COME JUST WAIT AND WITNESS THE CHANG UNFOLDING.
Posted by: sally | December 10, 2008, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
“Tony Rezko is still singing and sooner or later Obama will be given up so he can avoid jail time.”
ROFLMAO.
I guess credit should be given to right wingers who put their faith in this vs birth certificates….but not much.
Sorry right wingers, Barack Obama will be our next President for at least the next 4 years.
Posted by: Ryan C | December 10, 2008, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
Hustleback, palin, mccain, liberman, grahm….WOW! no wonder the rubs got beat with a team like that,,, collective IQ 87.
Posted by: mr sleepy | December 10, 2008, 8:03 pm 8:03 pm
Tralala” When Obama starts holding meetings in the White House to discuss whether cutting the ears off of another human being is considered to be torture – or other body parts – then you have the right to compare him to George Bush. As Ashcroft had the decency to say, as he sat in on those meetings -History is not going to look kindly on these discussions.
I haven’t forgotten the atrocities done in my name during the Bush administration – and there are some decent journalists who have not forgotten, either. There’s also a brilliant and relentless man named Fitzgerald – and I don’t think he’s forgotten them either.
Posted by: Mara | December 10, 2008, 9:30 pm 9:30 pm
Will – Mr. Topper hated Obama even before he declared his campaign. Go back and read the ealry pieces on Obama’s name. He’s not a stealth Rush Limbaugh – he’s stealth Likud.
Watch the Charlie Rose interview as well. Illuminating. The question is why a major network would allow someone with such an obvious bias to cover a President or President-Elect. It’s hard times. Lots of journalists are being laid off. You can do better, Disney boys.
Posted by: Mara | December 10, 2008, 9:35 pm 9:35 pm
obamma will end up hanging himself.You cover up fools have given him enough rope. Just takes a little time.
Posted by: gaetano | January 19, 2009, 8:06 am 8:06 am