President-elect Obama was succinct in shooting down speculation about his connections to Rod Blagejovich today:
"I'm also aware of your interest in the matter of the Illinois Senate appointment. I was as appalled and disappointed as anybody by the revelations earlier this week. I have never spoken to the Governor on this subject. I am confident that no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat. I think the materials released by the US attorney reflect that fact. I have asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the governor's office related to this vacancy so that we can share them with you over the next few days. Finally on this matter, let me say that this Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade. It belongs to the people of Illinois and they deserve the best possible representation and they deserve to know that any vacancy will be filled in an appropriate way so that whoever is sent to Washington is fighting for the people of Illinois. I hope and expect that the leaders of the legislature will take steps to make sure this is so."
I'm sure the flying monkeys will keep scouring the skies, but I think the rest of us are ready to get back to fixing the country.
