Obama’s Answer on Blagojevich — and the Questions it Raises

Ya know, this is all fair, Jake. And I know the media loves to know EVERYTHING and needs tpo know it RIGHT NOW.
But you have to entertain the possibility that some of Obama’s people were involved with tipping off the FBI about what Blago was doing and that the FBI has asked them not to speak publicly about it yet. This IS an ongoing investigation so I would not find that surprising. Maybe they just can’t be as “transparent” as you would like them to be right now. There may be other considerations. Patience, Jake, patience.

What a mess for this guy. If the people in Illinois want integrity vote Ron Paul for your governor. I know Dr. Paul doesn’t live in your state, but he is one of the very few ethical people in government who is not bought. Just take a stand for what is right and just and vote for the good doctor. Enough of this corruption already!

How dare you even put President Elect Obama’s name together with Blagojevich. I’m sure he had no knowledge of Blagojevich’s corruption and misdeeds. It’s not like he ever worked with him or associated with him. They were probably only living in the same neighborhood or something.

Of course his “advisors” were in these negotiations. It is crystal clear if you read the complaint.
Is this really so surprising? Obama has been surrounded by crooks and liars his entire career – and we should believe he is clean as a babys bottom.

I already see how the media is going to paint this one. They are already running the stories of Blago cursing Obama, as if that exonerates him.

Rob is sick of the questions. Wow. I guess we should all just forget about the blatant criminal acts of a state Govenor closely associated with our next President and go back to sleep. We only need worry about lost jobs. No wonder our county is so screwed. See you all in the soup lines!!

It seems strange to me that the Govenor and Obama use the same words.

to Lisa talkingpointsmemo.com is reporting emanuel didn’t tip them off.
Feds had been investigating Blago for 3 years.
There were wiretaps on blago about this before the election.
The feds knew Obama was going to win and they knew Blago could be corrupt in this process so they got the warrent before the election to wiretap blago about the selection process.
Also what does it say about Obama that Fitzgerald was investigating Blago for hiring corruption in June 2006 and Obama still said he supported Blago then. Obama in August 2006 did a campaign even for Blago even thought fitzgerald had a federal investigation on him.

Obama by his own words chose Chicago to make his home and start his political career. There isn’t a soul alive that doesn’t know that the Chicago machine is the most corrupt political system in the US. Given that everybody insists that Obama is a genius guy, he most certainly by now has sized up Blago and most certainly knows the score. It is equally clear that at least up until recently he tolerated this man and his slimy behavior for party reasons. As with Wright and several others, it is o.k when they bother other people, but when it becomes personal for Obama that is when the behavior is no longer tolerated. I doubt very much that Axelrod misspoke the first time. He is much too detail oriented to do so.

Yeah, right Lisa. The FBI’s tapes and documents were filtered through Obama and his political machine. They spoon-fed this carefully scripted story to the duped media as part of a PR campaign. And Blagojevich’s anger? Part of an act. If you get something else from this story, then tell us, and explain your logic as though it’s something we should know.

Mr. Obama is already the most hypocritical President Elect our country has ever known. He will be the most hypocritical President ever.

orangecat,
I highly doubt “Obamacrat for Palin” was even an Obama supporter. Obama supporters chose an intelligent man instead of the anti-intellectual Palin (because there was the risk of McCain’s age), that was the difference. In fact, Palin frightened many undecideds to go over to Obama.

Chicago politican going to jail again!
What a shocker!
I would not vote for O, because he would not work in his own community as Mayor or Governor to clean it up. Why did he move to Chicago? To use those corrupt people to move on up. Now he is moving into OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obamacrat for Palin: “I used to support President-Elect Barack Obama, but the President Obama has been the worst President ever. Worse than Bush! He has been an utter failure, and his tenure has been ruinous for our great country.”
Great post – I’m still chuckling.

Thank you for Obama…we have been blessed…now if you can only do something about the sourpuss republicans…

To:Josephbbl…Blagojevich’s anger is about not being able to feather his and his wife’s nest.Read any and all internet news…they have same story.Blangojevich and wife want big money and free ride!

One would think that if anyone from Obama’s circle was involved in any related wrongdoing, Fitzgerald wouldn’t have gone so far out of his way to say that Obama was not involved in the crimes.

When they want you they’ll get you. Politics as usual.
You really think 1/2 of them aren’t sleeping with prostitutes like Spitzer (esp. New Yorkers)-or at least having an affair, or corrupt like Blago.
If they’ve been seen or heard doing bad, everyone knows, if you haven’t, someone still knows. What takes them down?
Enemies. Someone tying their shoes. When they need to align the chess pieces to their liking. In my opinion Obama is tying his shoe or playing chess-most likely both. I voted for him but it doesn’t make me blind to what’s going on.

Jake, it’s clear to me that any attempt at transparency in politics is wasted on you and most of your fellow reporters. There are many reasons not to comment on an ongoing investigation, several of which you or other commentators have mentioned. I find it funny that, in spite of evidence suggesting that Obama is clean in this situation, y’all are trying to create drama about it. I’m not saying there may not be a sketchy person in his team involved in all of this – maybe let the Feds do their job and we’ll see what happens, no? So much for the “liberal” media – your political leanings are incredibly obvious. If this were Bush, I doubt this would be a story at all in your book – in fact, nobody seems to have picked up and ran with the rather interesting story in today’s LA times about specific Bush administration exit interview talking points.

Obama doesn’t like dirty.
Cleanup on Illinois Gov!
Someone named Rahm squashed a Blogo in the aisle.

Who could name 3 good friends of Obama.
All Obama friends are criminals. Shame to America

The Feds have wiretap evidence. Have they released it all? Are any of Obama’s people or Obama on the tapes? This could get interesting.

Hmmmmmm. Good friends of Obama…
1. God
2. His Family
3. Joe Biden
4. Oprah
5. Al Gore
6. 63 million american’s that voted for him…
is 63,000,006 good enough for you!?

Bush, Cheney, Delay. All republicans are tainted and evil. Shame to America.

Richard,
Well, the media is trying to spin it, I guess.
Considering the investigation had already been going on for 3 years, if Obama had any close ties with this guys, I am sure the RNC would have aired it like dirty laundry over and over during the campaign. Some people here keep trying to tie it to Obama, when it is clear from Blagojevich’s conversations the only thing “Senate Candidate No 1″ (whom apparently Obama thought would be a good pick) would give Blago was “gratitude”. In short, they told Blago : NO.
There is a hint that it was Rahm Emanuel who alerted the Feds to the new developments and resulted in the Feds immediately arresting Blagojevich before he could appoint the Senate candidate.

I ended up voting for Obama, after repeatedly trashing him as “just another politician” At this point I’m totally giving him the benefit of the doubt. There are strong negative forces that oppose Obama. However, he looks to have his nose clean on this one, but so far we’ve only seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Let’s hope and pray, for the good of us all, that his nose stays clean. Woe is all of us if our President is corrupt. I know there are many who are already pointing fingers based on wishful, harmful speculation. I myself have been there and done that. Not this time – for the greater good we should stick closely to the facts, and the facts alone. That’s all I have to say on this topic.

Richard,
Exactly. The RNC is now salivating and trying to pin this to Obama. Gee, where was all their outrage when Palin praised Stevens and didn’t join the other Senators and people calling for his resignation? Palin too once worked for Stevens apparently, I vaguely remember reading somewhere.

Why is this news so surprising? When people see how a completely unqualified community activist can come along and BUY a job in the white house, of course some moron like Blagojevich is going to come along and think he can SELL a senate seat…duh

TJ,
He didn’t buy the White House.
69 (going on 70) million people and counting put him there. These same people gave him the money, you know? Unqualified? He is an Ivy Leaguer who studied constitutional law…isn’t the POTUS’s job to protect the Constitution? How is someone who graduated at the bottom of their class or who had to go to five diff colleges to get a degree more qualified?

Pray that the nightmare doesn’t even start on January 20, 2009.
It doesn’t HAVE to.

By the way, lets hope he’s able to BUY some answers now because all he’s shown so far is an ability to read other people’s words off a teleprompter…just like an anchorman.
Oh, make that an “ivy league” anchorman…hehe

Jake, don’t be a pinhead. Of course, either Obama or someone on his team has spoken to Blago. We are talking about Chicago politics, here, This is not news and there is certainly no room for your insinuations. If you really want a Pulitzer that bad, undertake something worthwhile.

Oh Please Slim Shady…Gag me with a spoon!

TJ
re: ‘When people see how a completely unqualified community activist can come along and BUY a job in the white house,’
lets have some fun ….. change:
When people see how a completely unqualified son of a political dynasty can come along and be appointed the white house and ruin the country while getting people killed for no reason,… Duh….
I’m just sayin’…..

By the way can someone tell me why almost all of these posts are signed anonymously?
Edward

Maybe OJ and Obama can be cell mates!

Hi Grey Matter. Nice string of comments, I am a citizen with a PEBO that I certainly would and did not vote for, but He will be the President soon and that makes him my president.
Two issues with your otherwise reasoned comments.
The whole credit card fund raising thing smacks of the old “no controlling legal authority” argument we heard from the steps of the temple. The lack of accountability and transparency in donors and their citizenship as well as the open door PEBO left subverted the system. This should not stand in future elections and should be reviewed in this election. Someone once asked me if I was upset that Obama switched from his public financing and was surprised that this republican thought nothing of it. But I am upset that the fox ran the hen house.
No bid contracts have a real place in business and government. We see it used daily for quick action. It is, I think, a necessary part getting things done. If you want to scandal monger look at the RMK/BRJ no bids let during the Viet Nam war. You might check the ownership of those companies. Like it or not our elected reps sent us there just like the did in Iraq.
True I am mad still at the lady for spreading Texas flowers along my states freeway, but then I am also still mad at FDR for his contribution of Kudzu to our south, but that’s government for you.

smith,
Of course there is this risk of fraudulent donations, and according to a report both campaigns filed, it shows that every month, the Obama campaign has to return a few millions in donations found to be illegal/not meeting terms and conditions. Unfortunately, presidential campaigns are getting more and more expensive and the 84 million is not enough (esp with both sides exploiting loopholes in the law- esp the RNC which is very good at fundraising in all prev elections and always outraised Democrats).
Most of the donations are generally legitimate, and it does mobilise a more grassroots sort of effort and encourages more involvement in ordinary citizens. There was this report that claimed the Obama campaign lied about the small-donors. It defined “small” donors as those who donated less then $200 throughout the whole campaign- which, in my opinion, is a pretty low threshold. Many donors, I know, and have told me, they donated $10, $50 here when they got enraged with Sarah Palin or whenever they could scrape together- and usually by the end of the campaign- busted the $200 threshold. Some maxed out too, overtime.
On the issue of no-bid contracts, I would have to disagree. My problem is with the no-bid contracts awarded to companies like Blackwater Security in Iraq. It was not neccessarily an emergency, and bidding would have lowered the price considerably more. Many of these contractors are paid many times more then if a normal American soldier were to do the same job. They have also encouraged soldiers to leave the Army and work for the contractors instead because they are more lucrative- thus further increasing the dependency on contractors and driving up the price of the war. Many of these contractors did not neccessarily do a better job then could have been done by US soldiers or local Iraqis. Iraqis were jobless because of the war, and many were begging for jobs- which were instead given to contractors. Some of these frustrated young men then went to join the insurgency instead.
In the first place, I do not think there should be such widespread use of contractors. In the case of Blackwater, they opened up legal grey areas about the issue of “legal combatants” and how and where they were to be prosecuted when they were charged with committing war crimes. Unlike the armed forces, they are companies- driven more by profit. Cheney has ties with another contractor that has benefited, Halliburton who was awarded a contract. I need not say how there would be a conflict of interest.

Quit the bs fellas, Washington is the laughing stock of the world. Now that’s something to discuss.
Oh and….
I still have not got a clear answer as to why most of
these posts are signed anonymously?
Edward Mangan
Beijing, China

It is reasonable to assume that Obama has been tied in with Blago and his schemes over the years. That is how Chicago politics seems to work. To save his own skin Blago will talk. When he does we can kiss goodbye to the Obama presidency.

Thank you. I believe Fitzgerald brought this out NOW to stop Obama from being part of the bribe. Fitzgerald couldn’t go direct to Obama so he circumvented Obama committing a crime by bring this out NOW. Because in and article written by Brian Ross of abc on 12/9/08. One of the things he said is this: The FBI affidavit said Blgo had been told by an ADVISER “the present-elect can get Blgo’s wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the president-elect’s pick to the senate. The FBI was told by two other ADVISERS that Blgo has to “suck it up” for two years. That’s when Blog starting swearing. So, Blgo’s wife would get her job in two years but not right now. Fitzgerald is a democrat and what he did with Scooter Libby proves where his loyalties are.

Read the contents of the taped conversations about ‘the unnamed individual’ and put two and two together. What made Blago so mad was that HIS wife was more qualified than Obama’s wife, and yet he was told he would have to wait TWO YEARS for Obama to put Mrs. Blago on a corporate board (like the one that was ‘paid to’ Obama, for Michelle). Blago knew Obama was being hypocritical, so he stated (paraphrased): “My wife has the experience to be on a board now, unlike ‘the unnamed individual’” (Michelle had no experience when she was ‘given’ her corporate board job that pays them dearly each year, both in salary and in company profits). I laughed when I read that these crooks know better than to trust each other — hence, the warning to Blago from his advisor: ‘Be wary of the two year promise’. LOL, if it weren’t so sad for America that BO is our President-elect.

Wow what a pathetic article. There is no evidence of a connection so JT made some up and vaguely talked about questions being raised. Shocker republican apologist and whiner extraordinaire Joe “how did the intern die in my office” Scarborough thought making stuff up about democrats is great reporting. Way to earn those wing nut points JT. Hey maybe you can accuse Obama of playing the race card.

Yeah, right. Nice try, Jake. No wonder you’re the only one being credited by “Morning Joe.”
At least other journalists know what it actually takes to win a Pulitzer or Emmy.

You forgot to mention Sarah Palin when listing public servants to disprove an assumption. You know, that public servant who actually has experience governing something that was so much a threat to Dems that they had to send an army to Alaska to find something to demonize her with (but couldn’t)?

TJ – You had to go back a few years to get reputable politicians from Illionis. Anyone that lives near Chicago knows how dirty the politicians are. I feel like I need a shower now just talking about it.

Pres.-Elect Obama is quoted as saying “I was not aware of what was happening.” This man literally sees-no-evil, hears-no-evil, smells-no-evil even when he’s in the middle of it. We will witness a look and attitude of bewilderment when one voices concern that he may have been influenced by corrupt Chicago politics. One has to question that so many people attribute great intellect to man who seems so clueless, or perhaps it’s many of my fellow Americans who are clueless!

Blagojevich, Wright, Ayers, Rezko, Pfleger, Acorn…the list goes on. Obama is:
1. Corrupt and “in bed” with those in the list above
2. Unconcerned about what others do around him as long as he gets what he wants
or 3. Too stupid to know what’s going on.
Any one of these three things is unsettling.

Is there a reason why we should believe one of the three statements suggested by Leslie Jo must be true?