"[Obama] can get Blagojevich's wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming [a] pick to the Senate"

Isn't it fascinating how this particular quote has been buried by the mainstream media?

"The president-elect can get Blagojevich's wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the president-elect's pick to the Senate."

The key words are "paid" and "exchange". Doesn't that warrant a tad bit of investigation by our beloved mainstream media pro-journalist-types?

Of course, there's always the tiny, trivial discrepency in stories between David Axelrod and President-Elect Obama. Namely, that Obama and Governor "Toast" Blagojevich discussed the Senate seat.

Here's David Axelrod on 11/23:

While insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid being a "kingmaker," Axelrod said, "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."

Here's President-elect Obama on 12/9:

“I had no contact with the governor or his office and so I was not aware of what was happening, ” Obama told reporters today in Chicago. “It’s a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don’t think it’s appropriate to comment.”

And here's David Axelrod, later in the date on 12/9, presumably after being informed that his boo-boo was about to bring down a presidency before it even began.

"I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject."

Eh, right.

For guys who operated in each other's orbits on a frequent basis, the Obama-Blago relationship has been discussed in the press at length.

• Obama Advised Blagojevich On His Victorious Gubernatorial Run. "That year, [Obama] gained his first high-level experience in a statewide campaign when he advised the victorious gubernatorial candidate Rod Blagojevich, another politician with a funny name and a message of reform." (Ryan Lizza, "Making It," The New Yorker, 7/21/08)

• Obama: "If the governor asks me to work on his behalf, I'll be happy to do it." (John Patterson, "Senator Says He's Still Willing To Help Blagojevich Despite Hiring Concerns," Chicago Daily Herald, 7/27/06)

• Obama Endorsed Blagojevich For A Second Term. "Obama, who endorsed Blagojevich for a second term nearly 18 months ago, said he's ready to help Illinois democrats in the upcoming elections." (John Patterson, "Senator Says He's Still Willing To Help Blagojevich Despite Hiring Concerns," Chicago Daily Herald, 7/27/06)

• Obama: "We've got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois." (Deanna Bellandi, "Illinois Democrats Talk Unity But Don't Show It," The Associated Press, 8/16/06)

One of the central figures in the relationship was, of course, convicted felon Tony Rezko.

...[Rezko's] strongest ties have always been with Blagojevich. Rezko's and Blagojevich's families often socialized. Rezko and the governor's wife, Patti, a real estate agent, even worked on several property deals together since 1997, earning Patti Blagojevich at least $38,000 in fees.

...Rezko recommended numerous candidates for Cabinet positions and state boards and commissions. And in a sign of how closely he meshed his pizza business deals with his forays into politics, a close circle of Rezko business investors and their relatives received jobs and appointments to influential state posts under Blagojevich... Blagojevich appointed three Rezko pizza business investors to a controversial board that oversees hospital projects. (That board was replaced amid an ongoing federal kickback investigation that led to the indictment of the board's vice chairman.)

The state's business development agency, run by a former Rezko real estate firm executive, employed the daughters of two other pizza business partners, including a man who is a fugitive on federal tax charges... And another Rezko partner got a loan for pizza franchises through a California businessman whose firm won an $83 million contract for redeveloping the restaurants at Illinois Tollway oases. The loan came after an introduction from Rezko. Blagojevich has said those who secured jobs and appointments were qualified...

I'll repeat the key phrase.

"The president-elect can get Blagojevich's wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the president-elect's pick to the Senate."

Perhaps the New York Times can redirect its Trig Palin and Joe the Plumber investigation teams for a few days to pursue this incriminating statement.

That is, before it goes out of business.

If this is the kind of corruption we can expect in the next four years out of the Obama administration, I say we pre-impeach him. It's the only way to be sure.