GOVERNOR?  WHAT GOVERNOR?

Posted at 7:43 p.m. ET

The president-elect has now issued another denial that he or his staff was involved in any way in the seat-for-sale scandal involving the governor of Illinois.  We saw nothing, absolutely nothing:

President-elect Barack Obama sought on Thursday to separate himself from the political scandal swirling around Governor Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, saying he never talked to the governor about who would replace Mr. Obama in the United States Senate.

Mr. Obama added that he was “absolutely certain” his staff was not involved in any deal-making regarding his successor.

Look, that's not the issue.  No one is charging Obama or his staff with "deal-making."  The issue is whether they knew that the seat was up for sale.  And, if they did know, why didn't they report it?

Nonetheless, Mr. Obama said he was gathering an account of any contacts between his staff and the Blagojevich administration, and promised to release those details in the next few days. But he said his staff had acted appropriately.

If he's still gathering an account, how can he issue blanket denials?  The denials come first, then the facts? 

In his first extended remarks about the unfolding scandal, Mr. Obama said he was “appalled and disappointed” by accusations that Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, tried to profit from his power to fill the Senate seat vacated by Mr. Obama after he won the presidency.

Obama has been watching "Casablanca" again.

At Thursday’s news conference, Mr. Obama took pains to divide himself and his promise for a new brand of politics from a political culture in Illinois that had been tainted by the drive for personal gain. While the two men may have lived in Chicago and served in Springfield, the state capital, Mr. Obama drew a bright line between himself and Mr. Blagojevich.

It's 2008, he's president-elect, and he's finally drawing lines?  There was no crayon available in previous years, decades?  You can go to Staples.

A near-unanimous chorus of politicians, including 50 Democratic senators and a host of Illinois leaders, has called for Mr. Blagojevich to resign immediately. The state’s General Assembly, which is out of session, is set to reconvene on Monday to draft legislation that would set up a special election to choose Mr. Obama’s replacement — overriding state law that now gives the governor the power to fill the seat — or investigate impeaching Mr. Blagojevich.

All the sudden righteousness.  Let us not forget that this governor was already under federal investigation.

A key issue here, and we've mentioned it before, is whether the press will do its job, or give Obama still one more pass.  Watch the major media.  Will news organizations redeem themselves, or go further into the tank?

December 11, 2008.