This is a man who has been under federal investigation for years. Here is a man who knew he was being watched by the Feds, but apparently had such an ego that he thought he was above it all. Chicago is and has long been a sesspool for crooked politicians. The sad fact is that Governor Blagojevich will not be the first Illinois Governor to go to prison should he be convicted. In fact, if he is convicted, he could share a prison cell with another former Governor of Illinois, George Ryan.
The issue about this case that I find even more interesting is the response from those surrounding President-elect Obama. Initially Barack Obama would not make a statement on the situation. Yet, later in the day he came out and made a strong statement concerning his dealing with Blagojevich:
"I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so I was not aware of
what was happening"
According to the Associated Press his statement that he didn't have contact with Blagojevich about the Senate seat seems to conflict with that of top adviser David Axelrod, who told Fox News Chicago on Nov. 23: "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."
Conveniently, later in the day, Axelrod made a statement saying that he was "mistaken" about any discussion Obama had with Blagojevich regarding the Senate seat. One last tidbit of information, if Obama had no knowledge of what was going on, why is there now information creeping out that Rahm Emanuel may have been the one that tipped the Feds of about the corruption.
While there is no evidence of wrong doing on Obama's part in this case or the Rezko case, it still smells bad for the new President-elect. He hasn't been sworn in to office yet and there are two cases with his name attached in one way or another. With all of the corruption surrounding this man, President Clinton is starting to look like a saint. Maybe Hillary still has a shot at 2012 after all.
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14 comments:
Sigh.
I don't know, it doesn't look as if Obama was a favorite son of the governor based on the transcript information that I have read. For those that haven't read the transcripts, the governor's comments concerning Obama were less than kind.
From AP:
Nothing in the court papers suggested Obama had any part in the discussions about selling the Senate seat or knew of them. In fact, Blagojevich was overheard complaining at one point that Obama's people are "not going to give me anything except appreciation." He added: "(Expletive) them."
I do think that Obama was aware of this, and that he and his staff are involved in this mess. It is my sincere hope that they are the whistle blowers on this nonsense as has been suggested by some left leaning pundits.
Irregardless, two corrupt governors back to back in Illinois. What the heck is wrong with that state?!
Warmest Regards.
An American Liberal
My apologies for the double post, but here is a another link from AP that is more in line with the original comment by Stacy.
Warmest Regards.
An American Liberal
Sign.
It seems American Liberal still can't accept the fact that Obama was part and parcel of the Chicago Machine - - the machine that purchsed the presidency for him. I would not be at all surprised if the sale price of one million for his vacant seat wasn't coming out of his campaign fund reserves so Jesse Jr. can swim with the big fish alongside Obama. Considering all the corruption in D.C. and Chicago, "birds of a feather" comes to mind.
Ahh the politics of Taminy Hall are still alive and well...btw my state of NC is just as disgustingly corrupt as IL.
Anonymous,
Perhaps, but guilt by association is a tactic already tried and failed. Not to mention, Barack is just the latest in a string of people to have their names splashed by the mud of corrupt politicians.
In this case the prosecuting attorney went out of his way to state that the President-Elect was not involved. Fitz seems to be a stand up guy and I take him at his word.
In an effort to bring my point home for you, do we think Palin is corrupt just because most of Alaskan politicians are? Do you think her good name should be smeared by Stevens criminal activities? Do you think Liberal sites who connect the two on innuendo, do so fairly?
I do not, and ditto for the Right leaning sites making similar suggestions. Duncan, the head of the RNC, is the biggest mouth on this latest charge. But I'm sorry, anyone who is trying to convince people that he has done a GREAT job over his term is a bit delusional in my mind already. Hey, I'm not a Republican, you will have to decide whether he did a good job or not.
Please note that Blagojevich is a Democrat who replaced a corrupt Republican (Ryan) on a platform of honesty and reform.... Both of the men deserve a heck of a LOT more years than a day shy of seven (the number of years determine which type of prison you are eligible for).
Regards.
An American Liberal
American Liberal:
Perhaps you haven't researched Obama's friends and associates in Chicago, not to mention the monies backing him and his campaign. Read "the Case Against Obama" or articles researched by investigative reporters in Chicago to find the real Obama. In the interest of truth and honesty, why don't you take a trip to Chicago and research available facts for yourself. Check out the wonderful school system and housing for the underprivileged that Obama helped to initiate. I shudder to think he may do the same for cities across the United States.
This sort of reminds me of the saga of the Clintons, in which dozens of friends and associates were indicted and convicted, and yet the Clintons managed to stay above it all.
My wife and I are insulated enough from the nitwittery in Washington DC that we're perfectly willing to sit back and give the new president a chance to either prove himself or prove our suspicions that he is a corrupt political lightweight whose strings are being pulled by someone or some group who does not truly have America's interests at heart. I'm also perfectly willing, a year or two or three down the road to publicly admit if my assessment of Barack Obama turns out to be wrong. It will be interesting, as well as more than a little entertaining, to see how the Left spins it if I'm right.
Retired Spook: It appears that you and I are of a like mind. I don't hold out much hope for "change", but I wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised or eating crow.
And what's with the Secret Service re Chertoff? How can you run a security check on a worker and not know he is an illegal? Perhaps you can explain that to me. The Secret Service says it's their job to determine if the worker passes security, not if he is an illegal (duh).
Anonymous,
Oh, we're going to get change all right, but I'm afraid it's going to be the kind of change that generates a lot of buyers' remorse. I could see the most popular bumper sticker a year from now being "DON'T BLAME ME, I VOTED FOR McCAIN".
LOL!
It's amazing how you folks are willing to ponder the dismal failures of Barack Obama before he becomes President, but fail to mention anything resembling a negative comment concerning the last President and his continuing poor choices?
Has anyone besides me noticed that the latest Bush news doesn't even make it into the Blogs anymore? Are his actions are so awful, conservative blogs just ignore his existence and hope no one notices?
I guess innuendos are better fodder than continually shaking your head at the President you selected.
Just a thought.
An American Liberal
It's amazing how you folks are willing to ponder the dismal failures of Barack Obama before he becomes President
Am. Lib., I'm not worried about Obama failing -- I'm worried about him doing what he promised.
I've spelled out where I find fault with Bush so many times on so many blogs, I've lost track. You can only beat a dead horse for so long. And, from what I've read, the majority of the cricism of Obama so far has been from the Lefties who are are beginning to sense that he may not govern as far to the left as they had hoped.
Now, all that said, the Wall Street Journal had a great interview with Condi Rice that put much of the last 8 years in perspective, at least on the foreign policy side.
American Liberal: quit assuming - - - no one said they actually voted for Bush. I personally find him repugnant, reprehensible and slow witted. If I was capable of hate, he would be #1 on my list. He was in office 7 yrs. 11 mo. & 20-some days too long. Not voting for Obama does not make you a Republican, it means you are apprehensive about a man who belongs to the Chicago machine and owes a hell of a lot of favors to the people who bought the Whitehouse for him. Pay-back can be a bitch for the rest of us.
I voted and cheered the Democrats into power two years ago and have been kicking myself in the butt everytime I look at Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Maxine Waters and the rest of the free-loading miscreants pretending to be honest, upstanding representatives of the people.
You can only beat a dead horse for so long.
But the horse is still in the race, and still doing damage.
Thank you for the Condi Rice article as I had missed it on WSJ. Unfortunately, I see the article as a broad based attempt by the Administration to rewrite Bush's legacy.
However, I will readily acknowledge that in many respects I agree with Bush's (Rice's and before her, Powell's) foreign policy assessment. My disagreement has always been with his unshakeable belief that America's military is both the only tool available, and the best solution for every foreign policy situation.
Later in his second term (and corresponding with Rumsfield's demise), he seemed to suddenly realize that there were other options available to him. Some could argue successfully that once the administration started utilizing their toolbox more effectively, that the level of success dramatically increased.
Unfortunately, I think this supports the impression of a President who had the right information, but through sheer incompetence, managed to make one bad decision after another. I will gladly admit he had help, but as the "Captain of the Ship", the responsibility is his.
Illustrating this point a bit, our lack of focus on our "real enemies" in Afghanistand (and now in parts of Pakistan) seems to have allowed that threat to regain much of their operational abilities. I, along with most Americans, find that analysis to be alarming and disheartening. After all of the capital we have spent (in terms of blood, lives, and money), arguably we seem to be in worse shape than we were in prior to 9/11.
Anonymous,
So, you think my assumption that the majority of the readers here voted for Bush vs. Ultra-Liberal Kerry to be unfounded?! LOL!
Okay, fair enough, please accept my apologies for making an assumption that the readers on this blog voted for Bush.
Warmest Regards,
An American Liberal
Stacy,
Back on topic a bit, Blago mentioned that he had "a lot to say" (when the time is right).
If he sings like a canary, then this should go off like a nuke in Chicago politics. He seems to stupid and self-deluded not to imagine himself the victim here. So, yeppers, I see him singing right before being mysteriously "shanked" in the prison yard.
I, for one, hope they get EVERYONE involved in the rampant graft and corruption that is plaguing Illinois at the moment. The people of that state do not deserve this sort of representation.
Oh yeah, I totally believe in the Death Penalty. This liberal won't be holding a candle singing songs of peace.... Running an extension cord to insure they have enough juice....
Warmest Regards.
An American Liberal
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