Transparency

I haven't seen the circus-tent media reaction to Obama's latest statement on Gov. Blagojevich, but hopefully this will calm the hounds for a while:

At his presser today, Barack Obama said he'd directed his advisers to assemble all the information about any contacts his team might have had with Governor Blagojevich about his Senate seat, and reiterated that he'd not had any direct contact with Blago himself.

"I've asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the governor's office about this vacancy so that we can share them with you over the next few days," Obama said [...]

"I am confident no representatives of mine would have any part in any deals related to this seat," Obama said.

That this even has to be said is depressing. Blago asked for money or a spot in the cabinet or a spot for his wife on a state board in exchange for placing Obama's preferred candidate in the seat. He was rebuffed. He called Obama a motherfucker. Then Valerie Jarrett took her name out of consideration. How could anyone with Obama have any part in deals related to the Senate seat when they shut Blago's request down flat?

Meanwhile, Howard Dean has now joined the chorus calling on Blagojevich to resign. This, of course, proves that the Democrats are completely in the tank for the Illinois governor.

UPDATE: Shorter Ed Morrissey: Here's a picture of a two-second handshake at a Governor's meeting where every Governor and Barack Obama was present, PROVING that Obama and Blagojevich were scheming to trade 80,000 pounds of gold buillion and a pancake recipe for the Deputy Undersecretary for National Parks and Monuments! UPDATE to the UPDATE: Here's an undated photo sent out by Blagojevich after the election proving, once and for all, that at one time, the junior Senator from Illinois and the Governor of Illinois talked to each other!!!!