Political Perceptions: Blagojevich is Bad News for Obama

There’s no indication that President-elect Barack Obama was involved in the Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich scandal, as U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald clearly stated, “But for politicians it’s never good news when a top-notch prosecutor has to go out of his way to distance you from a front-page scandal. And indeed, there are enough connections between the worlds of Blagojevich and Obama that the whole thing has the potential to grow beyond a colorful Chicago tale of corruption to entangle members of the Presidential transition team, to test Obama’s carefully cultivated reformist image and to distract the President-elect just as he is preparing to take office,” writes Time.com’s Massimo Calabresi . For now the Obama team won’t comment, “But in the coming days and weeks the campaign will have to address whether Blagojevich or any of his representatives actually talked to an Obama adviser or other emissary on the matter. The transition team will also, undoubtedly, try to distance Obama from a ... (link)