I just knew this kid would be trouble someday …
1975 -- Foreman High School (vol. 36), Chicago
Sometimes we have to dig through old archives to really nail someone for hypocrisy, so I really do appreciate Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s thoughtfulness in providing incredibly damning quotes one day before his arrest by the FBI for corruption.
Here’s the future former guv at a press conference yesterday:
“If anyone wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it…”
Really? Even your phone calls with union officials, and your discussions of the sale of Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat?
To his credit, the governor was refreshingly honest with “Advisor B” (identified only as a DC-based consultant), when he came right out and said, “I want to make money.”
Also on that call was John Harris, Blago’s chief of staff and future cellmate, who helpfully suggested a “three-way deal” between the governor, über-union SEIU, and President-elect Obama. I wish there were a joke in here somewhere about a “three-way,” but politics is just so dry, you know?
The official FBI complaint, released by the feds this morning, is 76 pages of future routines for The Capital Steps.
Get ready for the predictable onslaught of late-night jokes and editorial cartoons. My favorites, so far, have to be seen in sequence.
First this:
Then this:
You know, there’s really nothing better than transcripts of tapped phone calls when the criminals are talking about the possibility of a phone tap. After media revealed his calls had been recorded, Blago considerately called a prospective briber to warn him: “The whole world is listening. You hear me?”
Governor, we hear ya. Sure, you’re having a rough day, but you’ve got to look for the silver lining. On November 10, during a conference call to discuss potential scams and kickbacks, you mentioned that you did “not want to be Governor for the next two years.”
I think that can be arranged.
Related posts:
- DECEIVER MADNESS Round 1: Blago vs. Harpo If ever a Deceiver Madness matchup was ripe for...
- Obama and Harry Reid: Fear & Looting in Las Vegas Today is the day President Obama flies out to Las...
- Cos and Effect The other day I told you about how President Obama...
- What Happens to Vegas Doesn’t Necessarily Stay in Vegas Sorry to keep picking on you, President Obama, but you...
- Union Employees of the World, Unite! (Whaaaa?) I don’t often read the Washington Post. (I’m more of...
Well at least Obama had the sense to not deal with Blago, that is some crazy s.
I saw the name Cecilia Bartli next to his picture and I thought that was the opera singer. Thats Bartoli with an o in there. Back to the jokes.
Nice picture. What a pud.
I guess both sides like to buy and sell political positions.
What is up with Chicago politics and bad hair? Is it a requirement for office there?
Was he so stupid that he thought he wouldn’t get caught? Couldn’t he have learned something from most Chicago politicians and kept his bribery on the down low? Or at least paid off the right people?
Hmm. So what’s goin’ on with “Disappearing” Joe Biden and Hilary Clinton, or She-Who-Will-Always-Remain and their senate seats? This Governor can’t be the only one who thinks they’re golden.
Best line of the day goes to a neighbor of Blago’s (a political science professor) who was interviewed for CBS Radio news. He said that pretty soon, the Illinois State Penitentiary is going to need a dedicated “Governors’ Wing.”
I wonder who whispered in Obama’s ear to not deal with Blago as the Feds were about to arrest him.
It also amazes me that the MSM doesn’t list him as a Democrat but when they show the Alaska guv on TV they start the line, Republican Governor of Alaska…….
Aleric–That’s because being a Republican is kind of like a brand of shame. Notice how Deceiver gets “accused” of having a “Republican bias,” when there is no corresponding bias existing for those of a liberal persuasion. Right-wingers are conspirators and nuts, while the worst Demos get accused of being are “bleeding heart” and “too charitable.”
Are you still conservative?! SHAME! Go amend that fault right this minute! After all, the American two-party system is very, very bad! It should be a ONE party system, duh!
PS–I don’t think Deceiver has a bias either way, and that’s why I like it. Hypocrisy exists in eveyone, some are more brazen than others, and politicians are especially good targets. That’s why Palin and Obama could be side-by-side on the list of Top 10 Deceivers. It’s not about who’s on what side. It’s about who’s being the most hypocritical. That’s all it’s about.
Rocko: “Hmm. So what’s goin’ on with “Disappearing” Joe Biden and Hilary Clinton, or She-Who-Will-Always-Remain and their senate seats? This Governor can’t be the only one who thinks they’re golden.”
Biden was hoping his senate seat would be filled by his son Beau, but Beau shipped out for Iraq a few weeks ago. Beau is currently Delaware’s Attorney General. In the National Guard, Beau is serving as legal staff, not doing any actual soldiering.
Instead, Biden’s seat will go to his Senate Office Chief of Staff, Ted Kaufman. I guess that’s the next best option to keep the seat in the Biden family. It is assumed that Kaufman will not run for election when Biden’s term is up, that Beau will then run for the then open seat.
I’m gonna laugh my ass off if Kaufman ooches out Beau and decides to run anyway.
Hillary’s seat is rumored to be Caroline Kennedy’s if she wants it. So far she’s been playing coy but popular thought is that her name wouldn’t have been mentioned if she hadn’t made it clear to Obama & the DNC that she wanted it.
Ted Kennedy is also pushing Caroline’s name as he sees her as the leader of the next generation of political Kennedys after his death. In Ted’s mind, the world will crumble if we don’t have a Kennedy in the senate. And remember, Hillary’s senate seat once belonged to RFK so they feel somewhat possessive of it.
The other popular name mentioned for the New York seat is Mario Cuomo’s son, Andrew. Like Beau Biden, Andrew is currently Attorney General in New York. Interesting tidbit: Andrew was a Kennedy by marriage, though is now divorced.
Seeing any dynastic trends here???? Democrats complain about the Bush Dynasty, but that’s nothing to the inbreeding they’ve got going on.
Aleric wrote: “I wonder who whispered in Obama’s ear to not deal with Blago as the Feds were about to arrest him.”
It’s public knowledge that Rezko was singing. He was convicted but his sentencing has been pushed back several times (currently set for Jan 6). The abnormally long delay between conviction and sentencing was because Rezko had turned informant. Rezko was the primary fundraiser for Obama’s IL Senate campaign AND Blagojevich for IL governor (they also shared David Axelrod as campaign chief). It wouldn’t have taken a little bird to whisper anything to Obama & Axelrod, they both knew Rezko was dealing out crime tips for a reduced sentence.
Which leads to another interesting point. When this thing broke I wondered why the investigators didn’t allow the senate seat bribe money to actually change hands. They had the phones (and offices?) bugged, so why not let the payoff take place? That way you’d have an iron tight case with both Blag AND his paying customer caught in the act.
But apparently, as president, Obama would be privvy to the case details because it’s a federal investigation.
Which means they had to bust Blag BEFORE Obama had a chance to play tipster.
I imagine that the minute Blago signed off on appointing someone, he/she is a U.S. Senator. Presto — Change-o — and the person would have to be expelled from the Senate by the other 99 Senators in order to remedy the situation. In the mean-time, thought, he/she could vote on legislation and wreak all sorts of havoc.
Under the circumstances, I’m guessing that the FBI Director decided that preserving law and order in the U.S. Senate was more important than nailing someone “in the act.”
I agree.
Aw come on Sneer,
Wouldn’t you have LOVED to see surveillance photos of Rod and Jessie Jr. in the sack together?
LOL, Minnow!! I think I would’ve preferred to hear about that rather than see it. *brr*