blag-blag-blag...what's ya hiding?

A Hard Change Is Gonna Fall?

President-elect Barack Obama said Monday that he is withholding, for now, an internal review of his staff's contact with the office of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the request of the U.S. attorney handling the governor's corruption case.
Obama, speaking at a press conference where he unveiled his energy and environment team, said the review was "thorough and comprehensive" and backed up his previous claim that his aides were not involved in any wrongdoing.
"There was nothing in the review ... that in any way contradicted my earlier statement that this appalling set of circumstances that we've seen arise had nothing to do with my office," Obama said.
Blagojevich was arrested last week and accused of trying to auction off Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder, in a series of "pay-to-play" schemes.
Obama said he is waiting one week to release the contents of his review to the public. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald released a written statement Monday confirming that he requested a "brief delay" so that investigators could conduct certain interviews.
In personally disclosing the results of the investigation he ordered, Obama said, "As I said in a press conference last week, I had no contact with the governor's office and I had no contact with anybody in the governor's office. What I indicated last week was there was nothing that my office did that was in any way inappropriate or related to the charges that have been brought."
Obama's transition team said earlier Monday in a written statement that the review will show that Obama's staff did not take part in "inappropriate discussions" with Blagojevich over filling his Senate seat.
Obama said he was directing his staff to conduct the review at a press conference last week.
"That review affirmed the public statements of the president-elect that he had no contact with the governor or his staff, and that the president-elect's staff was not involved in inappropriate discussions with the governor or his staff over the selection of his successor as U.S. senator," Obama spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said in the statement Monday.
"Also at the president-elect's direction, Gregory Craig, counsel to the transition, has kept the U.S. attorney's office informed of this fact-gathering process in order to ensure our full cooperation with the investigation," Pfeiffer said.
The brief statement, however, did not say whether Obama's incoming White House chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, was heard on a wiretap providing the governor's top aide with a list of names that the president-elect favored. Nor did it say who, if anyone, on Obama transition's team had made contact with the governor or his aides concerning a replacement for Obama.
Obama, fielding questions at the news conference, sidestepped when asked whether Emanuel had spoken with aides to the governor about potential Senate appointees. Emanuel was one of several aides who watched the news conference from the wings.
Obama resigned his Senate seat last month to prepare for taking the oath of office as president. Blagojevich, who has the power to appoint a replacement, was arrested last week on charges he schemed to sell the seat in exchange for money or political favors for himself or his wife.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

change? dollars is more like it...

so, we've passed a historic threshold by electing a black man as president and yes that is quite a nice feel-good emotion and reality. Substance-wise, we won't truly know until history provides us with hindsight, although Obama's apparent charisma and stated sincerity have put many of these concerns at ease. After all, his election was by no means a grand mandate, but nonetheless a reflection that the country (well, 52% of it) did in fact find his rhetoric as believable, or least more palatble than what McCain & others offered. Obama definitely seemed sincere & 'presidential' and this worked to his advantage, especially during the campaign's ending days. While McCain seemed desperate and willing to vilify the senator from Illinois, Obama seemed a figure of cool composure & professionalism, in spite of his own party's attack ads & misinformation. Now that he is soon to take the seat of our government, we all must remember to stop patting ourselves on our backs for 'overcoming racism', and cast a scrutinizing eye to the White House. To be free from racial concerns, good or bad, is the basis of a good citizen, and we must as always watch those in positions of power. Sadly, as we approach January 20th, our new, untested president of change already has scandal pooling around his loafers. Obama was able to dodge William Ayer, Preacher-gate, and Tony Rezko during his campaign, although with effort. It is likely that these may again rear their heads and be heard; in fact, they already are. Obama's friend and colleague, the governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich has been caught trying to sell Obama's now vacant senatorial seat to the highest bidder. This is on top of strong-arming both a children's hospital and Wrigley Field into political donations, amongst even more speculation of wrong-doing. He was voted into office as an example of change to replace the prior corrupt governor and now we see more of the same scandalous behavior. Blagojevich seems now just another cog in wheel of old-time Chicago politics of paybacks & pocket-stuffing. It may have to do with the company he keeps. After all, he is a good friend of Tony Rezko, the slumlord, political fundraising kickback artist who has helped (& now hurt) the political life of both the Illinois governor and senator. As well, he is friends with Dan Rostenkowski, disgraced Chicago congressman, who was considered the symbol of Clintonian corruption. One wonders about such company and how close Obama is to any of this. Possibly not at all. Yet this in itself may not be a good thing, as ignorance of fellow Democrat politicians & fundraisers, as well as friends, shows poor judgement, at least. Keep your eyes peeled as "Change" becomes very greasy dollars.

Clinton's Confirmation May Spark Constitutional Battle:
A provision in the Constitution technically bars Sen. Hillary Clinton from becoming President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state.
By Stephen Clark

The biggest obstacle facing Hillary Clinton's Senate confirmation as President-elect Barack Obama's top diplomat may not be her husband's wheeling and dealing abroad for his foundation, as many suspected.
Instead, it could be the U.S. Constitution.
According to an emolument clause in the Constitution, no lawmaker can be appointed to any civil position that was created or received a wage increase during the lawmaker's time in office.
President Bush ordered Cabinet salaries raised to $191,300 from $186,600 by executive order early this year, while Clinton was senator.
"My understanding is that does prohibit her unless they can find some way around it and I gather that they have in the past," former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger told FOX News.
"This isn't the first time this has come up," he said, referring to appointees of other presidents. "Maybe she has to renounce the salary increase but I'm sure they'll find a way around it."
The Obama transition team did not respond to a request for comment.
Some constitutional lawyers don't foresee the provision derailing Clinton's nomination.
"I don't believe it presents a serious issue because the legislative fix which has been done in the past is perfectly constitutional," said Adam Bonin, an attorney at the Philadelphia law firm of Cozen O'Connor.
The legislation that Bonin referred to is the "Saxbe fix" that allowed President Richard Nixon to name Ohio Sen. William Saxbe his Attorney General.
The attorney general's salary was raised during Saxbe's term in 1969 but Nixon convinced Congress to lower Saxbe's salary to what it was before 1969.
The most recent case involved Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, who was nominated to be President-elect Bill Clinton's treasury secretary in 1993. To avoid conflict, Congress passed legislation lowering the salary of that position to its 1989 level.
Bonin believes Congress should pass similar legislation for Clinton.
"I think that's the safe move to make," he said, adding that he believes Clinton could be confirmed without a legislative fix because Congress didn't vote for Bush's pay raise.
Daniel Dreisdach, a professor of law at American University, said it would be difficult for anyone to use the provision to challenge Clinton's confirmation.
"In this respect, it's a bit analogous to this question of whether Barack Obama is a natural born citizen," he said, referring to a lawsuit, dismissed last month, seeking to obtain a copy of Obama's Hawaii birth certificate.
"Then it becomes who has legal standing to challenge his credentials as president or Hillary Clinton's assumption of the office," he said.
Dreisdach said as long as Democrats control the Senate, the Obama transition team won't worry about this provision in the Constitution.
"The Obama team is well aware of it and they have dismissed it," Dreisdach said. "I find it hard to believe that a Democratic majority will take a different view."