I was thinking just yesterday that since Blago referred to the ability of Candidate 5 to raise a million dollars, that his dad might very well be involved in that kind of effort. (Not that he necessarily was, since all we have is Blago’s assertion, but it would certainly make the idea that such an amount could be raised more plausible for Blago’s plotting.)

During the coverage on election night, the image of Rev. Jackson listening to Obama’s speech, standing among the masses of people gathered with tears streaming down his cheeks, caused me to take note that he was completely on the outside looking in. The total absence of Rev. Jackson from the “talking head” circuit during the lead up to the election was politically smart (assuming this was Obama’s wish), but had to be killing the Rev. given his prior role and relevance to the Democratic Party on the national scene.

Viewing the events of these recent months through his eyes, it would not surprise me that he might approach Blago directly. Jesse has been around long enough to have seen it all, and may have set his sites on Obama’s Senate seat (for his son) as long as a year ago. He knows Chicago politics, and it is pretty clear based on Blago’s own words that the ONLY way JJJ was going to get this seat was to pay for it.

Given the fact that Blago claimed last week that he was first approached by an emissary of JJJ with a monetary deal for the senate seat before the election, and given the high likelihood that the Feds taped the meeting between JJJ and Blago on Monday, I’d say the Reverend’s lawyering up is very ominous indeed.

It may also be a day late and a dollar short.

If Fitz had enough to arrest Blago, he also likely would have had enough to get additional taps put on some other phones. If Fitz had taps on the phones of Candidate 5 and his confidants BEFORE the presser, his rather evocative remarks to the press (”worst of all” and “Lincoln rolling over in his grave” comes to mind) may have been designed to stir up the hornets’ nest to see if someone would say something stupid during or after Fitz finished.

Given the egos involved, Candidate 5 and his confidants might just have been stupid enough or distracted enough or angry enough to take Fitz’s bait, call each other, and say something they’re going to regret the next time Fitz steps up to a microphone.

Digg it

I know I’m gonna regret this, but here goes. I can’t stop thinking about Triple J’s shout out to his sister during his presser. It was weird and out-of-place, which leads my suspicious mind to believe it was code for something. I know, I know, conspiracy theorist am I.

OT http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28180540/

Bipartisan commission says shrub responsible for US torture/human rights abuses, not commanders/guards/Pentagon or other lower level peoples. Buck stops where it belongs, apparently.

“WASHINGTON – The physical and mental abuse of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay Naval Base was the direct result of Bush administration policies and should not be dismissed as the bad work of guards and interrogators, a Senate report concludes.”

Which report will I hope be exhibit #1 at the war crimes trials. Orange jumpsuit time, I hope.

Aren’t you getting ahead of yourselves?

If there’s actual evidence of anyone offering cash for a Senate seat, by all means bust them. But there’s way too much speculation here, and way too much assuming that retaining counsel is the act of a guilty person. There also seems to be an assumption that because Blagojevich said on tape that some third party did something, that it actually happened the way Blago described, despite the fact that people who know him regularly describe him as delusional. We shouldn’t take his claims that people were offering him all this stuff at face value, though he made it very clear that he was shaking people down.

Let’s try to keep things reality based. For instance, this article says

“Associate of SC 5: Approached Blago with a “pay to play” offer”

Correction: Blago was taped saying that he was approached with a “pay to play” offer from an associate of number 5, and that he might be able to make a deal with this guy (evidently Jackson Jr.). Presumably Fitzgerald has some of that on tape, but correct me if I’m wrong, emptywheel, was was released so far seems to be just Blago’s word.

Given Jackson Jr’s strong denials yesterday after the point where he knew any meeting was on tape, my guess is that he’s pretty confident he didn’t say anything incriminating.

Joe Buck,

I agree with you that at this point, there is no evidence. And that getting a lawyer merely means you don’t want to get in trouble, not that you think you should be in any.

The one thing that is somewhat alarming to me is Jim Montgomery, a very good lawyer, formerly Harold Washington’s lawyer, saying “Jesse Jr. hasnt done any wrongdoing.” As I said in an earlier thread, he is going out of his way to parse his Jackson’s here. I find it a strained phrase, not only for the way he names Congressman Jackson, but also for the clumsy redundancy of ‘done any wrongdoing’, which is the sort of thing you say when midway through a sentence you get nervous about what you’ve just said.

Or, it may mean absolutely nothing at all. We’re all engaged in Kremlinology here, partly because we’re very interested, and partly, at least for me, because there is a subtext that some things get prosecuted and others don’t, and yet I’d like to know more about them anyway.

I’m watching Jesse Jr. on WGN right now, and he makes an emotional close in front of his house, but again, a very personal one. He doesn’t say that no one among his associates has made these approaches. He says he’s confident people will come to see he has done no wrong. But the criminal complaint is all about people acting on his behalf, not him.

It contrasts very strongly with Barack, who is on now, saying he’s “very confident that noone” around him has been involved.

I believe Jesse Jr., watching him. But I think he’s speaking very exactitude. He believes someone in his circle made these approaches, without his knowledge. Few staffers would feel the confidence to do that. His father might. Or might not …

Again, this doesn’t even add up to circumstantial evidence. It just adds up to a personal suspicion

I’d also add that the standards for judging someone in your own mind and in conversation with friends (or on a blog) are quite different from the standards for trying them before a jury. It’s fair to talk this out here. And it’s very fair for you to keep pointing out the weakness of the ‘evidence.’

Notice that Rahm, who is on right now, simply isn’t answering questions. That contrasts with both Jesse and Barack. It’s interesting. It doesn’t mean anything yet. But it’s interesting.

I think we’re going to learn a lot more. Some of it quite soon.