THE PLOT THICKENS

Posted at 7:45 a.m. ET

Ed Rendell, Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, complained last week that Barack Obama didn't have administrative experience, and that this was contributing to his sluggishness of his handling of the Illinois governor saga.

Rendell was right.  The scandal, which involves the governor soliciting favors and funds in exchange for Obama's abandoned Senate seat, continues, with bits of information coming out each day.  The classic way to handle a scandal is to get everything out as quickly as possible, punish those who should be punished, and put it behind you.  Thus far, Obama has been disappointing.

This morning The Wall Street Journal, which has done fine reporting on this story, reveals contacts between Rahm Emanuel, Obama's designated White House chief of staff, and the governor's office, regarding the Senate seat:

Barack Obama had begun thinking about his Senate successor even before the presidential election, and dispatched Rahm Emanuel days after the vote to contact aides of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to begin talking up Mr. Obama's preferred candidates, associates of Mr. Emanuel said this weekend.

Associates?  We can speculate that Emanuel may want some of this information out there, and is going around the Obama information operation to put the best possible spin on the story.  Also, please note that there is nothing improper about holding discussions with a governor's office about filling a Senate seat.

Mr. Emanuel didn't talk to Mr. Blagojevich directly about the matter, by phone or in person, according to people familiar with the matter. He spoke by phone with aides to the governor, those people say.

An aide to Obama speaking with aides to the governor.  Some real spin here, I suspect.  Aides may not know everything.  Aides may not be "authorized" to do certain things.  Lots of deniability in what's leaking out.

The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday that Mr. Emanuel relayed to Mr. Blagojevich's team a list of candidates who would be acceptable to the Obama camp, and that these conversations were captured on a tape possessed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. There is no evidence that this was part of a deal or quid pro quo.

Correct.  Nothing improper about that, legally or morally.

Now the conversations about the Senate seat may be central to whether Mr. Blagojevich's legal and political problems will spill over and affect the president-elect before he even takes office. The discussions themselves don't suggest anything improper, legal experts say. Obama advisers say it was natural for the president-elect to take an interest in his successor.

But that's not the issue, and all the spin in the world can't protect Emanuel or Obama from the central question:  What did they know about the governor's attempts to extract bribes for the Senate appointment, and when did they know it?

Rahm Emanuel was elected to the House, succeeding Blagojevich, who'd held the seat until his election as governor.  The two have had contact over the years.  The information in this Journal story provides pieces of the puzzle, but the puzzle still has many holes to be filled.  This will go on as long as the president-elect does not or cannot answer basic questions about what was known regarding the bribe attempts.

Suggestion:  The president-elect should appoint a person of impeccable reputation to investigate the actions of his staff and make a full, public report.  But he's got to do something to get this behind him.

December 15, 2008.