Thanks, Patty. Gore looked a little unnerved by the whole thing. And I do hope we’ll get to here more about how Gore plans to coordinate his global efforts with the President-elect’s. I think you’re right. Obama’s gonna come out of all this looking like a hero. I’m sure we’ll all learn a little more about the whole thing day to day, but Blagojevich seems to be a little unhinged. Let’s hope they Illinois legislature can figure out some way to keep him from governing.

Patty, loved reading your post .. I am doing the exact same thing, deep cleaning, getting ready for Christmas, and my hands are raw, my fingers hurt, and I get my best thinking done. I agree also, that he may have known something and was waiting for Blago to hang himself. I noticed that Blago was no where in site during the campaign and especially on election night at Grant park. Wouldn’t you think it would be a natural thing for the Gov. to be on hand when the Senator from his state was elected Pres ? I think Obama knew this guy was poison. Word is starting to spread the the guy has serious mental problems … Ya think ?

E Flynn, I wish you wouldn’t be stressed about this. I’m not stressed about this situation in possible relation to Barack in the least. Keep in mind, the FBI has been monitoring and tailing the Gov. for almost 4 years. If anything….and I mean anything incriminating as it relates to Barack was there, it would have come out during the campaign. There are a lot on conspiracy theorists that actually believes “people” are attempting to protect Obama and somehow shield him from controversy. But the upside of that is it is the ultimate compliment to him. From a political standpoint he is clean. And that is unheard of in today’s politics, especially coming from Chicago. So no one believes he hasn’t in some way dealt in dirty deeds. Unless he is one hell of an actor, he really does seem to me to be an average, level headed, honest, no nonsense kind of guy.

In case you didn’t read this in the other thread, I think it fits here: The man from Chicago Chicago Tribune, November 3, 2008 When visitors from other parts of the country arrive in Chicago, they are invariably surprised by all the appealing things it has to offer—clean streets, a gorgeous lake, gleaming architecture, top-notch museums and more. Some may have expected a dangerous Rust Belt ruin, but leave charmed and captivated. Barack Obama’s critics, however, are hoping to reach all those people who don’t know much about him or Chicago. In this pitch, made in viral e-mails as well as a McCain TV spot, the city appears as a pit of vice from which Obama has emerged like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. “Born of the corrupt Chicago political machine,” says the ad, linking him to Bill Daley, Tony Rezko, Emil Jones and Rod Blagojevich. On the stump, McCain refers to Obama contemptuously as “a Chicago politician,” suggesting that to be the lowest form of human life. 
 Of course, Obama is the same guy alleged to be a terrorist-loving Marxist radical, which would make him a unique hybrid indeed. But as longtime observers, we know a sleazy machine pol when we see one and Obama doesn’t qualify. Quite the opposite. He came up from one of the hotbeds of good-government reformers, Hyde Park, and he didn’t succeed by becoming anyone’s flunky. He blazed his own path, maintaining his independence while learning how to operate within the system to achieve worthwhile goals. He’s not a Daley guy, a Blagojevich guy or a machine guy. As much as any successful politician can be, he’s his own man. 
 He has made his mistakes, such as buying a strip of land from Rezko. But he forthrightly admits he was wrong to make that deal, and nothing that has emerged suggests that Rezko’s fundraising ever bought him any favors from Obama.

 His experience in the tough political environment of Chicago and Springfield, however, has made him a far shrewder politician than he was in his early days, when he seemed to think that brains and sincere motives were sufficient assets. Having learned, he has shown he can work with people of all sorts to get valuable legislation enacted. The combination of uplifting ideals and political savvy is what makes Obama appealing. He didn’t go into politics to enjoy the perks of his office, but to advance his conception of a better society. But he realizes that unless you know how to count votes, cut deals and occasionally play hardball, ideals are idle. The man running for president is certainly a product of Chicago—which, like any big (or small) city has its share of bad as well as good. This is, after all, the city of Jane Addams and Studs Terkel, Joseph Bernardin and Milton Friedman, John Paul Stevens and Gwendolyn Brooks. What stands out about Obama is that he has been able to navigate his way through the worst while championing the best. It’s a skill a president can use. 


Candidate 5 is Jesse Jackson Jr., who says, and I believe him, that any thoughts Blago had that he may be able to squeeze any favors out of him for the Senate seat was all in the governor’s head.

Blagojevich has become an untouchable. I cannot imagine anyone with any credibility wanting to be in the same room with him at this point. Don’t you think he will have the sense to resign? Is he nuts or stupid?