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Presenting Himself as the Anti-Blagojevich, PEBO Repeats Call for Governor to Resign, Says More Information to Come

December 11, 2008 12:45 PM

President-elect Obama today reiterated his call for disgraced Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign, and said he would soon inform the public of information about contacts between his office and that of the governor, who was allegedly caught on FBI surveillance discussing his efforts to sell Mr. Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Mr. Obama did not rule out that officials on his Transition Team had held discussions with the governor's office about the matter, nor did he deny that any of them knew about the governor's attempted deal-making, though he said he was "confident" no one on his team would have ever agreed to such a proposition.

The president-elect also did not rule out that federal officials had spoken with any member of his team about the matter.

"I was as appalled as anyone by the revelations earlier this week," said the President-elect in a morning press conference. "I have never spoken with the Governor on this subject. And I am quite confident that no representatives of mine would have had any part in any deals related to this seat."


The language the President-elect used was careful. He didn't say there had been no contacts or that no one on his staff was aware that Blagojevich was allegedly trying to make an exchange where Blagojevich secured a lucrative job for himself or his wife in exchange for his appointing Mr. Obama's preferred candidate, friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett, to take his place in the U.S. Senate.

Rather, Mr. Obama said no one would have had any part of a deal. More information would follow, he said.

"I have asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the Governor’s staff about this vacancy so we can share them with you," Mr. Obama said. "And we will do that in the next few days."

The president-elect had called the press conference to introduce his nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-SD, who will also serve as director of the White House Office of Health Reform. University of Texas professor Dr. Jeanne Lambrew will serve as his White House deputy.

Following brief remarks by Mr. Daschle, Mr. Obama took some questions, all but one of which were about Blagojevich.

Asked why he didn't repeat in person the call for Mr. Blagojevich to resign -- a call that his spokesman, incoming White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, made on his behalf in a paper statement yesterday -- the President-elect did so.

"Let me be absolutely clear:  I do not think that the governor at this point can effectively serve the people of Illinois," Mr. Obama said. "I hope that the governor himself comes to the conclusion that he can no longer effectively serve and that he does resign."

Mr. Obama framed that call within the context of how Illinois is home to politicians who are in it for both the wrong and the right reasons, underlining that he belongs to the latter group.

The Land of Lincoln has "a tradition of public service, where people are getting in it for the right reasons and to serve, but there's also a tradition where people view politics as a business," Mr. Obama said. "And part of the reason that I got into politics, ran for the State Senate, ran for the United States Senate, and ultimately ran for the presidency is because we have to reclaim a tradition of public service that is about people and their lives, and their hopes, and their dreams.  And it isn't about 'what's in it for me?'"

Pressed again for information about contacts between his team and Blagojevich's, Mr. Obama stated once again that he "had no contact with the governor's office.  I did not speak to the governor about these issues.  That I know for certain."

What he was less certain about, he seemed to imply, was the role possibly played by others in discussions with the governor's office. Mr. Obama reiterated that he would "gather all the facts about any staff contacts that..may have taken place between the transition office and the governor's office.  And we'll have those in the next few days, and we'll present them.  But what I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any deal-making around my Senate seat.  That I'm absolutely certain of....That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about.  And that's not how we do business."

Asked if he or his staff had been contacted by law enforcement, the President-elect said, "I have not been contacted by any federal officials.  And we have not been interviewed by them.  As is reflected in the U.S. Attorney's report, we were not, I think, perceived by the governor's office as amenable to any deal-making....Beyond that, I'm not really certain where the investigation is going forward.  I'll leave Mr. Fitzgerald to address those issues," he said, referring to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

But when the President-elect was asked why Blagojevich would perceive his team as not amenable, he avoided addressing whether anyone on his staff had rejected Blagojevich's proposals outright.

"I can't presume to know what was in the mind of the governor during this process, so I won't even speculate on that," he said. "All I can do is read what was in the transcripts, like the rest of you have read it, and shake my head."

Referring to the governor's many epithets about him -- which included a coarse Oedipal term -- Mr. Obama joked, "I won't quote back some of the things that were said about me....This is a family program, I know."

Mr. Obama presented himself as the anti-Blagojevich, heralding the state's "extraordinary traditions of public service" which he said co-existed with "habits and a culture that thinks of politics as a means of self-aggrandizement.  That's exactly what has to change."

The charges against Blagojevich represent "the far end of the spectrum of that business mentality of politics, but there are more subtle examples of it...within the lines of legality but still don't fulfill the spirit of service." Mr. Obama cited the "disproportionate influence" of Washington, D.C., lobbyists and other politicians "in state houses and city councils all across America" who aren't focused on "what's best for the public good but rather (are) making narrow political calculations."

"Our whole campaign was about changing that view of politics," Mr. Obama said. "It turns out that the American people are hungry for that.  And you can get elected by playing it straight.  You can get elected by doing the right thing.  That's what I hope we have modeled in this campaign.  And that's what I intend to model in my administration."

-- Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller

December 11, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (270)

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"Our whole campaign was about changing that view of politics," Mr. Obama said.

that is straight from obama's mouth and i am holding him to that.if he keeps rahm as chief of staff ,i guess all he said during election is nothing but words to get elected!he is no different with the others in capitol.a liar, corrupt and no good politician!

Posted by: coffee t | Dec 15, 2008 7:33:32 PM

The question that has not been answered is what did Barack know and when did he know it? Was the "nothing but appreciation" response given, and if so, by whom? Was this "business as usual" in Illinois politics? I have to say that this smacks of "going along to get along".

Posted by: A realist | Dec 13, 2008 4:02:47 PM

"Change you can believe in" is just a slogan ... like "Better living through chemistry," "When you care enough to send the very best" or “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.”

Posted by: MadeInUSA | Dec 13, 2008 10:45:57 AM

Silky writes, "Rahm is not a cabinet member and the word is that he's on tape giving Blago "a list of acceptable candidates." There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact, that's what they SHOULD be doing."
============================
You're wasting your keystrokes. The right side isn't exactly known for their ability to "think" things through. (LOL)

Posted by: Dems | Dec 12, 2008 7:01:07 PM

Most gave Bush the benefit of the doubt, and he burned us. Big time. THEY FREAKING LIED TO OUR FACES ABOUT IRAQ. Period. End of story.

"just in: Rahm's on the tapes multiple times. And he is a cabinet member. this is on fox chicago and confirmed by abc."

Rahm is not a cabinet member and the word is that he's on tape giving Blago "a list of acceptable candidates." There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact, that's what they SHOULD be doing.

Posted by: Silky | Dec 12, 2008 12:34:01 PM

Dreamers, nothing but dreamers. So you are willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt? I wonder how many people gave Bush the Benefit of the doubt? For years I voted for who I thought was the lesser of two evils, and one day I woke up and realized that both were so evil that there was no lesser of two evils. So I stopped and decided to let all of you make the mistakes instead. Isnt it disgusting to wake up one day and realize that when we were small we were told to respect our elders and now we find that the elders are nothing more than infants grown up into greedy and arrogant crooks who are making the laws of the land, collecting the money's of the land and filling their won pockets with breibes and payoff's. These are the elders of today and yesterday. They make jokes about being corrupt and taking bribes. This may be the result of Federal Education. I dont know. I went to a one room school so far out of town we could only visit once or twice a month. We were educated according to the selections of the Pennsylvania Department of Education which was far superior to the selections of the Federal Department of Education. We also graduated real engineers then, real scientists then. We even had one nation indivisible and not one nation under God My how times change.

Posted by: Ragan | Dec 12, 2008 12:14:28 PM

just in: Rahm's on the tapes multiple times. And he is a cabinet member. this is on fox chicago and confirmed by abc.

Posted by: chaos | Dec 12, 2008 12:07:31 PM

Yes Obama came from a politically tough town and we all know it. Thats why saying that we supporters think he is some kind of messiah is so silly. We know his faults yet still feel that he is trustworthy. What is laughable is that any of this even remotely compares to the deeds of the last gang of Republican corporate stooges that we just booted out of Washington. Starting a war and then giving no-bid contracts for billions of dollars to your corporate buddies for instance. While the crimes comitted by the governor may be serious we don't hold Obama responsible at all. Its the hysterical Republicans who are blowing the smoke to cover their tracks leading to much greater misdeeds.

Posted by: Burdock | Dec 12, 2008 11:56:36 AM

PEBO's gotta chill. The
governor's harmless antics
are just that.

If Illinois is a well-run
state, there is no need for
Blago to resign.

His imitation of a
crime-syndicate boss on the
tapes is pretty good.

H
was pretty good.

Posted by: anon | Dec 12, 2008 11:29:35 AM

"You can get elected by doing the right thing. That's what I hope we have modeled in this campaign. And that's what I intend to model in my administration."

What's The One gonna say when Rahm Emanuel, or whoever, at last throws HIM under the bus, on the Senate seat for sale?

Posted by: Belle Starr | Dec 12, 2008 11:07:16 AM

"After voting for Obama I felt relief and now I don't feel that way anymore . He seems to be just another politician."

Just another mob-friendly Chicago politician, who bought his present position for $750 million bucks. All that's different about Obama is the neo-con script and the stutter.

Blagojevich's a piker by comparison, but his departure may decrease the former "Democrats"' power even more, giving Barky more excuses for doing nothing but blather about what's "appropriate" and not ...

Having seen Obama's vote for the bailout, his flight from the Senate, his bait-and-switch appointments and backtracking, many who DID vote for him -- not only after his wholly-baloney primmary performances, but in the General Election, now wouldn't.

With any luck, the Chicago business will unravel just in time to prevent his taking office. Re-running the 2008 election, with PAPER ballots and equal air time, might be an idea whose time has come: we've just come through 8 years of a president who came to power through misrepresentation and deep pockets, and it didn't work out well.

Aside from the birthday suit factor, Obama's shaping up quite Bush-like.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Dec 12, 2008 10:13:09 AM

"The times they ARE a-changin'. You wait and see. It's gonna look like Greece here any day."

Seriously, you all with your sky is falling nonsense are quite a sight. And the day that a nomination for Secretery for Health and Human Services causing the market to crash, I'll eat my hat. The only stocks that would even marginally be effected would be pharmaceutical stocks. Unless you have numbers for them, you're being silly.

Posted by: Silky | Dec 12, 2008 10:04:07 AM

"the stock market has been so stable lately and the Secretary of Health and Human Services plays such a large role in financial matters."

The Daschles never stray far from financial matters. When Obama announced he INTENDED to appoint Daschle, the stock market crashed. Now that he's actually DONE it, it's crashed again.

When golden boy appointed the insider Geithner, and the stock market went UP, the news jumped on it as a causation. When everything ELSE Obama does has the opposite effect, it's not "news".

We need a revolution, apparently, in order to get National Health for the displaced citizenry at large, while the preening Obamas make common cause with every tired hack in D.C.

The times they ARE a-changin'. You wait and see. It's gonna look like Greece here any day.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Dec 12, 2008 10:00:21 AM

After voting for Obama I felt relief and now I don't feel that way anymore . He seems to be just another politician.

Posted by: obama fan | Dec 12, 2008 9:59:37 AM

"Dems
You could have a video tape of every sunday I have ever sat in in my LIFE, and not once would you hear ANY of the vile, racist, anti-American, anti-Semetic things coming out of my pastors' mouths.
Sorry to disappoint you.
And if they ever did say that crap, myself and my children would never have gont to another sermon there again!"

So what? Are you suggesting Obama's a racist? That he's anti-American? Anti-Semetic? Don't be ridiculous. You all need to get over the Wright stuff. It's irrelevant. There are very important things in front of us. That is not one of them.

Posted by: Silky | Dec 12, 2008 9:57:13 AM

Dems
You could have a video tape of every sunday I have ever sat in in my LIFE, and not once would you hear ANY of the vile, racist, anti-American, anti-Semetic things coming out of my pastors' mouths.
Sorry to disappoint you.
And if they ever did say that crap, myself and my children would never have gont to another sermon there again!

Posted by: dave | Dec 12, 2008 9:51:27 AM

"You ain't seen nothing yet: his vile appointment of Daschle has crashed the stock market."

Right, because the stock market has been so stable lately and the Secretary of Health and Human Services plays such a large role in financial matters.

Posted by: Silky | Dec 12, 2008 9:47:52 AM

"Obama is going to be a big fat failure"

Anything else there in that crystal ball, Einstein?

Posted by: Silky | Dec 12, 2008 9:44:31 AM

"obama is disappointing more and more."

You ain't seen nothing yet: his vile appointment of Daschle has crashed the stock market. (It ain't the boo-boo on the bailout, perhaps: one way or another, they'll GET their money, everybody knows THAT ... )

If anybody should resign, it's Obama/Axelrod.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Dec 12, 2008 9:34:58 AM

Stop2Think writes, "Having said that, Obama supporters (and the press) have to really ask themselves that for all this man's supposed gifted talents (smart, honest, decisive, etc) that the press love to laud he really has no ability to judge the character of those he is closest with. How do you explain his 20+ year association with Rev Wright despite his racist and hateful remarks (but he claims he never heard them and was surprised."
=================================
In your infinite LACK of wisdom, you take a sound-byte from ONE sermon and label a church attended by Blacks and Whites as racist. How stupid is that? If that isn't enough, you FAIL to do the math and factor in REALITY. The sermons have been taped for well over a decade. There have been over 1,040 Sunday sermons. Are you so dense that you DON'T think both the Clintons and Republicans had scores of individuals VIEWING those tapes? What did they find after viewing THOUSANDS of sermons? Nothing. Yet you STILL believe what you believe. Amazing.

Posted by: Dems | Dec 12, 2008 9:09:02 AM

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