"I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so I was not aware of what was happening," Mr. Obama said. "And as I said it is a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that I don't it's appropriate to comment."
Rod Blagojevich on tape:
"Unless I get something real good for [Senate Candidate 1], shit, I'll just send myself, you know what I'm saying. I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying.
"And if I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself. [The Senate seat] "is a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give
it away for nothing."
It is now widely believed that Senate Candidate 1 is Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. If so, Obama may have some explaining to do. Although it appears that whoever spoke to Blagojevich was unwilling to offer any cash or political appointments for the seat, it certainly seems as if someone from the Obama camp was in contact with Blagojevich. This would contradict both Obama's statement today, and the retraction of David Axelrod's claim that:
"I know he has 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."
Again, there could be a perfectly good explanation for all of this, however it seems likely that at the very least Obama may have to elaborate further on his contact with Blagojevich, or lack thereof. Hopefully this will at least slow down the media's anointment of Obama as the new FDR/Lincoln/Jesus for a few days.
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