“Saddened and sobered” -- that was Barack Obama's first response to the corruption charges against Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich (upper picture), charges that include an attempt to sell Obama's old Senate seat to the highest bidder.
"Obviously, like the rest of the people of Illinois, I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the U.S. attorney's office," Obama said.
Wrong emotion. If someone had taken a poll of the rest of the people of Illinois that day I'd guess very few of them would have offered "saddened" in response to a question on their feeling about Blagojevich's efforts to make money on just about everything that happened in Illinois over the past six years.
Outraged? Certainly. Disgusted? Sure. Entertained ? Yep.
But "saddened" is the kind of reaction you have if a friend loses a spouse or if someone you trust lets you down. It's not the kind of reaction you have if you've run a campaign for a politician only to have him embarrass himself in wiretaps from a federal investigation into his six-year orgy of corruption.
Saddened because an Illinois Democrat was nailed and sobered because the scandal could reach his coattails just before his inauguration as president of the United States.
Look for Obama’s aides and a sympathetic media to work overtime putting out the fires and maybe getting U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (lower picture) removed from the investigation. After all, Fitz was a Bush appointee making him expendable.
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A picture of my cave
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