Blagonistes

Yesterday, when David Axelrod retracted his statements about Obama's talks (or lack thereof) with Blagojevich, I wrote:

[T]hat had better be the absolute truth. One of them either misspoke or lied. Obviously the best case scenario is that a). Axelrod is at fault, and b). that he misspoke. But if Obama got it wrong today (intentionally or otherwise), and decided it was best to pin the blame on Axelrod to better avoid the scrutiny of the moment, he's opened himself up to a world of hurt as details unfold.

The more I think about it, the more I think the situation's actually worse than that. I suppose there's some chance that Blago knew Obama wouldn't play ball, so never asked him, or anybody on his staff, to pay to play. That would be the optimal--though unlikely--scenario.

More likely Blago did get the message to Obama and/or his people and they did... something. When that "something" is conclusively revealed, it will have profound implications. it could be extremely exculpatory (like, for instance, if Marc Ambinder is wrong and Rahm Emanuel did go to Patrick Fitzgerald with the information).

But if they sat on it--if they knew Blago was selling a Senate seat and said nothing--it will mean, at the very least least, a scapegoat will be fired for not speaking up and Obama's honeymoon period will be badly tarnished. At most, of course, it could mean that Obama was quietly complicit in this whole sordid ordeal.

But I don't even want to consider that possibility.