The arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on charges of corruption at a level that a third world tinhorn dictator would find over the top brings to light one of the deep weaknesses of modern day punditry. Namely, how blind partisanship trumps rational thought.
The right screams Obama was probably in on it from the get-go. The left screams with equal fervor nothing to see here so move on as it sets speed records in changing the subject. Neither of these genuinely addresses the issue, and both display amazing lack of knowledge about how things are done in business.
First, understand government is a business. The overwhelming number of positions aren’t elected. They are applied for and sought after in the exact same manner as every other business that it neither a solo nor nepotistic enterprise. Even among elected positions there is a hierarchy, a way things are done in terms of determining the pecking order. Merit is only one of the considerations in this process. Often it’s not so much as the main consideration. Presentation above substance, flattery, acquiescence to (ahem) “requests” for services outside the realm of normal business save that conducted on certain street corners in the seamier side of town; these also come into play. The mechanism of career advancement varies little if at all between the private and public sector. Directly put, if you want to see all seven deadly sins in action on a daily basis there’s no need to hang out in bars and the like. Spend a day at the office. It’s all there.
Second, there are very few United Airlines in this world. I refer to the incident there a few years ago when the CEO, a man brought in to in essence save the company from going under and highly praised for his efforts in doing so, was walked out the door for having an extramarital affair with a co-worker. This is the exception in the extreme. In most businesses, the higher up the food chain one resides the more impunity is assumed as far as behavior on both the personal and professional fronts. Again directly put, most execs can and should they choose to do so do get away with most everything imaginable, all with full knowledge of most everyone else in the company who deliberately turn a blind eye to it all with the justification of business needs reigning above all.
Bring these two elements into contemplating the Blagojevich case and it becomes much easier to comprehend. There is no way Obama didn’t know Blagojevich was a slimewad of the lowest order. One can debate why he didn’t turn him in long ago, but this becomes moot when incorporating the fact there is a tremendous difference between knowing something about someone and the ability to prove it under the law. Remember Obama is a lawyer and an extremely intelligent man. Keeping as much distance between himself and Blagojevich as possible while as unnoticeably as possible instructing his staff to do the same was almost undoubtedly the only viable option.
Obama in all likelihood knew Blagojevich was offering his former Senate seat to the highest bidder. However, the aforementioned conflict of knowledge versus legal proof again comes into play. Also, factor in the understandable. The man has just been elected to the highest office in the land. No amount of traditional media chauvinism on his behalf can obscure the whispers about his past, particularly his associates (Ayers, Rezno, Wright). The last thing he needs is any connection to blatantly corrupt fellow politicians from his home state. Therefore, following the straight path sliced by Occam’s razor it makes no sense to not believe Obama when he states he didn’t know what Blagojevich was doing in the process of filling his former seat in the Senate. When one declares the moment a given subject is brought up they don’t know what’s going on and what’s more they don’t want to know, they don’t know. You know?
Neither screaming guilty nor dancing around the matter are appropriate responses to this scenario. Politics is often — very often — an underhanded business. Blagojevich is an extreme example of this. However, there’s nothing new here. Obama is a politician; no more, no less. He’s in the league. He knows the standings. He knows who’s in what game and the score. That doesn’t mean he plays in every game. There are many reasons to oppose Obama based on ideology and/or policy. Blagojevich’s abuse of office isn’t one of them.
