BLAGOGATE: What Did Obama Know And When Did He Know It?

The story is simple, yet it could have legs that stretch into the Obama presidency for years. Illinois Democrat governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested yesterday, along with his top aide, in what federal prosecutors are calling a "pay-to-play" racket, where Blagojevich would sell the vacated US Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Wiretapping reveals Blagojevich to say that the Illinois Senate seat is a "a bleeping valuable thing. You just don't give it away. ... I've got this thing, and it's bleeping golden."

Thanks to Patriot Act-like maneuvers, the eavesdropping from US Justice Department officers yielded further highlights of how Democrats, at least in Illinois, eat each other:

Rod Blagojevich said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to "suck it up" for two years and do nothing and give this "motherf***er [the President-elect] his senator. F*** him. For nothing? F*** him." Rod Blagojevich states that he will put "[Senate Candidate 4]" in the Senate "before I just give F***ing [Senate Candidate 1] a F***ing Senate seat and I don't get anything." (Senate Candidate 4 is a Deputy Governor of the State of Illinois). Rod Blagojevich stated that he needs to find a way to take the "financial stress" off of his family and that his wife is as qualified or more qualified than another specifically named individual to sit on corporate boards. According to Rod Blagojevich, "the immediate challenge [is] how do we take some of the financial pressure off of our family." Later in the phone call, Rod Blagojevich stated that absent getting something back, Rod Blagojevich will not pick Senate Candidate 1. (source)

It appears that Federal Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald acted quickly enough to keep this new president elect from any deeper involvement with the entreprenuer extroidinaire Blagojevich, but the second shoe hasn't dropped yet. Names in the Obama camp who may have been engaged in "lower-level" negotiations haven't been divulged. Yet.