Playing It Safe

"If the wiretapped dialogue in the criminal complaint against Rod Blagojevich reveals anything," the Chicago Tribune says, "it's that the governor can deftly hold his own in the pantheon of political profanity."

Ya think?

"A cleaned-up version of the complaint would be cratered with blacked-out f-bombs, yet etiquette experts and anti-cursing crusaders say the language, which once would have made the nation blush, now comes across as almost de rigueur."

Atlantic's Marc Ambinder deconstructs Obama's tepid reaction:

"The first instinct of this [Chicago] inner circle was human and understandable; try to get away with adding as little fuel as possible to the combustion. That's always the first instinct of public figures when they (a) have something to side and (b) have nothing to hide. Obama has nothing to hide; indeed, the evidence so far suggests that his allies were repulsed by Blagojevich's entreaties. The trouble is that the public has been so familiar with the traditional script that politicians use when they're in trouble, and that script opens with the politician's somewhat cagey denial (even if the caginess was not intended) and it continues with the associates of that politician claiming that the questions are illegitimate and that the press is only searching for a head to spike on a pike. Then, the politician notices the criminal investigation and claims prudence."

Yep -- he looked like a typical pol.

The New Republic's Noam Scheiber says Rod didn't really get Barack:

"What's most remarkable to me -- at least once you get beyond the cartoonish brazenness, and, of course, the idea that Blagojevich had presidential aspirations -- is how spectacularly Blago misunderstands Obama himself. Among the various prizes he contemplates prying from the 'President-elect' are a cabinet seat (preferably HHS, but, as 'Deputy Governor A' points out, energy secretary 'makes the most money'), an ambassadorship, a position as head of a private foundation like the Red Cross, and some top role in the Change to Win coalition, which would apparently come about by way of an elaborate three-way trade involving Obama and SEIU. According to the indictment, Blago hoped to bargain for such a position in the manner of '. . . a sports agent shopping a potential free agent to various teams, stating "how much are you offering, [President-elect]? . . . '[President-elect], you want it? Fine. But, its got to be good or I could always take [the Senate seat]." ' In response to which one feels compelled to ask: Is there anything in Obama's background that suggests he'd react well to such an explicit shakedown?

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Obama can't be ruthless, opportunistic, or calculating when he has to be. He obviously can. Just that Obama's a guy who: a.) likes to think of himself as aboveboard and noble even when he's not behaving that way; b.) absolutely hates being told what to do (think of how long he resisted attacking Hillary while the press insisted he had to); and c.) is absolutely fanatical about process (I'm told that even people who expect to land senior positions in the administration have to submit their resumes to the website). It may be possible to arrange a political trade with such a person. But you certainly won't get far by issuing Scott Boras-esque demands. Then again, subtlety doesn't appear to be Blago's strong suit."

But Politico sees nothing but trouble for the man from Hyde Park:

"At first blush, Barack Obama comes out of the Rod Blagojevich scandal smelling like a rose. The prosecutor at a news conference seemed to give the president-elect a seal of approval, and the Illinois governor himself was caught on tape complaining that Obama was not interested in crooked schemes.

"But make no mistake: The Blagojevich scandal is nothing but a stink bomb tossed at close range for Obama and his team. Legal bills, off-message headlines, and a sustained attempt by Republicans to show that Obama is more a product of Illinois's malfeasance-prone political culture than he is letting on -- all are likely if the Blagojevich case goes to trial or becomes an extended affair. Obama and his aides have so far mounted a tight-lipped defense, publicly distancing themselves from Blagojevich's alleged plans to profit personally from his power to fill Obama's newly vacant Senate seat with firm but vague denials of any involvement."