Obama Spin-Doctors Can't Keep Story Straight

In the wake of the massive corruption scandal that has erupted with the arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Barack Obama and his spin doctors went to work to distance themselves from any appearance of impropriety.

The problem is that neither Obama nor his spin-doctors can keep their stories straight.

Early in the day on Tuesday, Obama told reporters he knew nothing of Blagojevich's plan to sell his Senate seat and that, in fact, he had not talked to the Governor at all about his replacement in the Senate.

However, Obama's senior advisor David Axelrod had already told reporters that Obama had talked with Blagojevich at length about possible replacements.

In a televised interview on November 23, Axelrod told reporters that he knew Obama had talked to the Governor and that a whole range of names had been discussed (video of the interview included in the link).

Within a strikingly short period of time, however, Obama advisers had issued a statement disputing Axelrod's assertions, claiming that the senior advisor 'misspoke.'

Later in the day reports surfaced that according to Illinois law, Blagojevich could appoint someone to the vacant Senate seat, even from a jail cell.

This prospect, plus the fact that Blagojevich has stated that he himself is interested in Obama's vacated Senate seat, has led to a move by Illinois lawmakers to call for a special election to choose Obama's replacement.

Such a move would be the only prudent thing to do, given the stunning level of corruption that has come to light.