Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been connected with Barack Obama in one way or the other for quite some time. Starting with their mutual friendship with Tony Resko. Now Obama says that he hardly knows him. Read about it below.

Obama Blagojevich

Obama came of age in politics in the seamy world of Chicago politics. He seems to like to compare himself with Abraham Lincoln, another Illinois politician. Unfortunately, most of the people he seems to have known over the years are not of that caliber. When he was asked by reporters today about the level of corruption in Chicago politics, he talked about the difference between politicians who go into politics for what they can get out of it and those who go into politics to serve the people. Yet, his name seems to keep getting associated with these notorious characters. And yet he stays out of the fray.

There’s an awful lot of smoke for there to be no fire. But who knows.

Obama carefully parsed his words in a style that would make Bill Clinton proud. He said he didn’t know this side of Blagojevich. I suppose in the same way he didn’t know what Rev. Jeremiah Wright preached all those years he sat in his church. Apparently, Obama is not very observant of the people he associates with.

Every since it has been revealed that Blagojevich was trying to sale Obama’s senate seat, Obama has maintained that he had not talked with the governor about it. Yet, the picture above was in a newsletter put out by Blagojevich just after the election. The photo was with a story about who would take the Senate seat.

“Last night’s victory was bittersweet for Illinois ? as we gain a great President, we lose a great Senator. And it goes without saying that our next Senator has big shoes to fill. Because it’s important that the best person for Illinois is selected, I want to be clear that the calendar won’t dictate our search. Instead, I want to ensure that Obama’s successor will understand and fight for the needs of average Illinoisans,” Governor Blagojevich said.

Governor Blagojevich will be looking for candidates that will support the President?Elect’s agenda for the people; effectively represent the interests of the state of Illinois in the U.S. Congress; work with the governor’s administration to achieve their shared goals of ensuring access to affordable healthcare, rebuilding Illinois’ infrastructure, improving the economic security and livelihoods of Illinois workers, and caring for our most vulnerable; and prioritize the average Illinoisan who is too burdened by taxes and economic hardship.

Make of it what you will.