Recalling that famous Clintonian parsing of a question …

“It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If 'is' means 'is and never has been' that's one thing - if it means 'there is none', that was a completely true statement," he said.”

So what can you expect of an internal political investigation that is conducted by a well-credentialed lawyer who is an advocate of his client, Barack Obama?

How many calls?

According to CNS News …

Obama Report Raises Questions: How Many Calls Did Emanuel Make to Blagojevich?

“Last week’s report from the Obama transition team raised more questions than it answered about President-elect Obama's staff’s contacts  with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.”

The report, issued by Obama attorney Greg Craig, cleared all Obama personnel, including Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Obama's soon-to-be chief of staff, of any wrongdoing. But Craig failed to ascertain how many phone calls Emanuel actually made to the embattled governor.

“In the report, Craig said Emanuel had made “one or two” calls to Blagojevich.”

Following  up the answer …

“In a subsequent conference call with reporters, Bloomberg reporter Julianna Goldberg asked Craig, whom Obama has selected to be White House counsel -- ‘Is there a reason you can't be more specific whether it was more than one?’”

Craig replied: ‘There is a reason, and that is that Rahm Emanuel says he had one or two, and he's not confident whether it was just one or whether there was another one as well,’ Craig replied. ‘So we're accurately reflecting . . . the facts as Rahm knows them to be.”

“The significant thing is that if there were two, it doesn't make any difference to the result that I'm most interested in, as to whether or not there was anything inappropriate that was discussed, because Mr. Emanuel's very clear as to what the topics of the discussion were,” Craig added.”

Like politicians, especially hyper-partisan ones like Rahm Emanuel, never lie or distort the truth – even when they are caught red-handed?

It’s all about process over substance …

“In his conference call, Craig described the process he asked Obama aides to go through to reconstruct their contacts with Gov. Blagojevich and his staff. It included consulting with counsel and reviewing records.
’We asked each individual who we thought might have had some contact or some communication that would be meaningful to, in an orderly way, consult with counsel to advise and assist them in reconstructing any contacts or communications,’ said Craig. ‘And that would include checking cell phone records or e-mails. And we inquired about that. And so it's my belief that we've got the information that is required to answer the president-elect's question. And I think this is the result of that inquiry.’”

Self-serving report is not worth a hill of beans …

“Former federal prosecutor Pat Trueman, however, said Craig’s staff investigation doesn’t really answer anything -- including whether Obama himself had talked with Blagojevich.  The report has all the markings of a ‘cover yourself’ investigation, he said.”

“ ‘The internal report by the Obama staff is no more valuable from a prosecutor’s point of view than an internal report by the governor himself,’ Trueman told CNSNews.com. ‘You cannot rely on the statements because they are not sworn statements, they are not in a grand jury setting, where you would have sworn statements, and so they are not really very valuable.’”

Trust: Why this report is important …

Once again, remember Clinton and Pelosi, the democrats have promised the American people the most open and ethical Administration in the history of the United States.

“ ‘We heard early on from the Obama team that no one made any comments directly to the governor,’ Trueman said, ‘Then we found out that Rahm Emanuel made one phone call – or was it two phone calls? – and that just proves the point that the internal report is not of value. You have to have the prosecutor interview the relevant members of the staff – and that may even mean the president-elect himself.’”

Considering the degree of secrecy surrounding the Obama camp during the campaign and Obama’s propensity to avoid answering direct questions with direct answers, we might be presented with a presidency and Administration that makes the super-secretive Dick Cheney look like a blabbermouth. Only time will tell. However, if recent history is to serve as a guide, this democrat Administration is likely to be similar to the Clinton Administration  – democrat politicians acting in their own self-interest (watch Hillary Clinton) and featuring waste, malfeasance, corruption and the inevitable cover-ups.

What can YOU do?

Believe little of what you hear from today’s politicians. Believe little of what you see and hear from the mainstream media which has apparently sacrificed journalistic ethics for corporate advantage – many of whom are already in the bag for liberal democrat causes and, in particular, their champion of hope and change, Barack Obama. With such an emotional investment, we can rest assured that the Obamaians in the media will cover-up, minimize and delete unfavorable events which makes the look foolish in the rush to anoint “the one” as the savior of the United States.

Take care of yourself and your family first. If you must engage in politics, start with cleaning up the local corruption and work upwards to the state level. With grassroots support and adequate state leadership, perhaps we can select an appropriate national leader.

On a personal note, at this early stage of the game, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal looks good as a potential presidential candidate and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Michael Steele, might make an excellent vice presidential candidate.

-- steve

Quote of the Day: “The thing I hate about an argument is that it always interrupts a good discussion. -- G.K. Chesterton

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:

“Gregory Bestor Craig  is a Washington-based lawyer. He has represented numerous high-profile clients, including John Hinckley, Jr., who was acquitted of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. As assistant to the President and special counsel in the White House of President Bill Clinton, Craig directed the team defending Clinton against impeachment. He was a foreign policy advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy and to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

• Craig represented Senator Ted Kennedy during the 1991 rape trial of William Kennedy Smith.
• He represented the Cuban father of Elián González during the 2000 child custody dispute which ended when U.S. Marshals enforced court orders that the child be moved from the Florida home of relatives.
• Craig represented United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the Volker Commission's investigations in 2004 into the scandals involving the oil-for-food program."

Craig was thought to be a candidate for Secretary of State before Hillary Clinton muscled her way into the Administration.  And it is still possible, that Hillary will resign her post as Secretary of State in favor of a nomination to the Supreme Court. <Source>

CNSNews.com - Obama Report Raises Questions: How Many Calls Did Emanuel Make to Blagojevich?