It's all good | WUSA9 | 23 Dec 2008
The interviews with Obama, along with incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and adviser Valerie Jarrett [I defy anyone to produce a good word about this person's business ventures in Chicago RE or Project Vote], were disclosed Tuesday in an internal report produced for Obama on contacts with Blagojevich. Obama delayed releasing his report until those interviews were completed with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's staff, incoming White House attorney Greg Craig said in the review he wrote for Obama. Obama had no contact with the governor or his aides, the report states. Prosecutors have said Obama is not implicated in the case. Emanuel was the only Obama transition team member who discussed the Senate appointment with Blagojevich, and those conversations were "totally appropriate and acceptable," Craig said Tuesday. No one on Obama's transition team discussed any deals or had any knowledge of deals, Craig's report said. ... The report said Obama authorized Emanuel to pass on the names of four people he considered to be highly qualified to take over his seat [say what?] -- Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, Illinois Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. [oops!] Obama later offered other names of what he thought were qualified candidates [say what?!], including Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Chicago Urban League Director Cheryle Jackson, the report said. "Mr. Harris did not make any effort to extract a personal benefit for the governor in any of these conversations," the report said. There was no discussion of a Cabinet position, creation of a nonprofit foundation for Blagojevich, a private sector position or of any other personal benefit for the governor, according to the report. The report said that earlier, Emanuel recommended Jarrett for the Senate seat [oops!] without Obama's knowledge, and Jarrett later accepted a job as a senior White House adviser (Ambinder on WH office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison).
Obama had no contact with the governor or his aides, the report states. Prosecutors have said Obama is not implicated in the case.
Emanuel was the only Obama transition team member who discussed the Senate appointment with Blagojevich, and those conversations were "totally appropriate and acceptable," Craig said Tuesday. No one on Obama's transition team discussed any deals or had any knowledge of deals, Craig's report said. ...
The report said Obama authorized Emanuel to pass on the names of four people he considered to be highly qualified to take over his seat [say what?] -- Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, Illinois Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. [oops!]
Obama later offered other names of what he thought were qualified candidates [say what?!], including Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Chicago Urban League Director Cheryle Jackson, the report said.
"Mr. Harris did not make any effort to extract a personal benefit for the governor in any of these conversations," the report said. There was no discussion of a Cabinet position, creation of a nonprofit foundation for Blagojevich, a private sector position or of any other personal benefit for the governor, according to the report.
The report said that earlier, Emanuel recommended Jarrett for the Senate seat [oops!] without Obama's knowledge, and Jarrett later accepted a job as a senior White House adviser (Ambinder on WH office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison).
Lay down with dogs, bebe, get on up with failures to communicate. O hark, yon New New Dealers return! Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
The Most Important White House Office
Everyone who wants anything from the federal government has to interface with the now conjoined office of intergovernmental affairs and public liaison in the Obama White House. To head this office, Obama has appointed his best friend and most trusted counselor, Valerie Jarrett. Jarrett has appointed as her chief of staff Michael Strautmanis, one of the Obama family's best friends and another trusted confidant. Traditionally, the intergovernmental affairs portfolio and the OPL portfolio have been kept separate, although Karl Rove unified them in the Bush White House. Cecilia Munoz, a senior vice president at the National Council for La Raza [residential RE/CRA/FHA broker --Latino segment], is a powerhouse who knows everyone in Washington. She's going to be the formal director of intergovernmental affairs. Tina Tchen, another long-time Obama friend, will be the head of the office of public liaison. ... The bigger the federal government gets, the more important these offices become. They'll probably be THE powerhouse in the Obama White House from the perspective of politics, constituency relations, interest and client groups, the Washington community, state, local and tribal governments. Jarrett won't just pass messages between the outside world and the president. Her job will be manage the relationship between the outside world and the president, and, vitally, she and her staff will have the juice to make decisions about how the Obama administration relates to just about every external constituency.
Cecilia Munoz, a senior vice president at the National Council for La Raza [residential RE/CRA/FHA broker --Latino segment], is a powerhouse who knows everyone in Washington. She's going to be the formal director of intergovernmental affairs. Tina Tchen, another long-time Obama friend, will be the head of the office of public liaison. ...
The bigger the federal government gets, the more important these offices become. They'll probably be THE powerhouse in the Obama White House from the perspective of politics, constituency relations, interest and client groups, the Washington community, state, local and tribal governments. Jarrett won't just pass messages between the outside world and the president. Her job will be manage the relationship between the outside world and the president, and, vitally, she and her staff will have the juice to make decisions about how the Obama administration relates to just about every external constituency.
Hey, y'all don't bring your feet to the camp fire. Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.
