If I Had Subpoena Power: Five Questions for Obama

I will refer to a Joe Biden's famous response. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

IIt's pretty clear that you're simply in need of something to write about, something to stir up. If Fitzgerald has asked the president-elect to hold off on making his internal investigation public, for what exactly are you pushing? If you want to ask about Rezko, why don't you make an issue of that on it's own - I suspect that you know that there's nothing there that can stand on its own, so you're appending to this current matter to give it (whatever association with Rezko) more weight possibly.

Why don't you people wait to hear what Obama has to say, after Fitzgerald says he can talk about it? But no, you just can't wait to start spinning your crap just to sell magazines and get a name for yourselves as great reporters. Obama did not have anything to do with Blago - he said so - and there is absolutely no reason to believe he did. Why would Obama care one bit who was appointed to the Senate seat as long as it was a Democrat who would vote with the other Democrats in Congress and create a bigger majority vote. Blago certainly wan't going to appoint any stinking Republicans. This story makes no sense and you all know it. Obama didn't answer in 5 second sound bites, he took time to make sure he checked with every one of his staff members to find out if anyone talked to Blago and this bugs you all because you need news now, because you don't know how to do an actual investigative story,so you make stuff up like Emanual talked to Blago 21 times - when records show that Emanual only talked to Blago once. I hope all of you fools are forced to retract your smear stories or better yet that you are one of the people layed off when the magazines and newpapers start being hit by the bad economy

Let's compare. The BIG reason Obama is not complying with Isikoff's request to release all documents relating to Gov. Blagoyevich is simple. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzpatrick asked Obama not to release any documents until Fitzpatrick completed his investigation. In other words, the media is putting Obama on blast for cooperating with an investigation and federal investigator, and complying with that investigator's request. Compare Obama's actions with the behavior of Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and President Bush. Even today Rove and Cheney are refusing to release public records as means of covering up their heinous crimes against America. George Bush constantly insisted that as president he was above the law. Where were all the sl-called journalists when this was going on?
Furthermore, Obama has called for Blagoyevich's resignation. Blagoyevich has called Obama names that are unprintable on this website. Democrats in Illinois have spear-headed the effort to remove Blagoyevich from office. Could you imagine a so-called maverick Repuglican like John McCain demanding that Bush be impeached?
The Blagoyevich scandal proves that we should only elect Democrats. When Democrats mess up, the scandal gets # 1 news coverage. Republicans get a get-out-jail-free card. Why is this?

Let's begin with what we know. Blago is pissed that Obama and his people won't give him anything but appreciation for choosing their preferred candidate. That assures me that they have told him no side deals will be associated with the Governor's selection.

From this public information how can any prudent individual conclude that the Obama was guilty of anything unless knowing the Governor infers guilt by association. By the way Mr. Isikoff, please refresh my memory. Over the past 8 years, how many questions were asked and answered by President Bush?

The arrogance of the press is, sometimes, staggering.
It's not good enough that Patrick Fitzgerald already cleared Obama and his team.
It's not good enough that Blagojevich's own words, on tape, cleared the Obama team.
It's not enough that the American People just don't give a damn about Obama's connection to the Blagojevich scandal now that we know there isn't one.

You, Isikoff, and your ilk need to keep the inquisition going because you don't have anything juicy to report about Obama and it's ticking you off.

What a pack of self-indulgent, self-interested idiots. Where were you when Madoff was ripping off $50 billion? Where were you when the entire Financial industry put itself in the whole and dragged the whole economy with it? Where were you when uncrupulous traders were bidding up the price of oil and the auto companies were selling gas guzzlers by the millions.

Where were you when Bush was lying us into war? Where were you when the CIA was torturing prisoners. Where were you when the federal government was wiretapping us illegally?

Just not juicy enough, right? No book in it? No exclusives? No notoriety?

You are no better than the National Enquirer, and may even be worse. Shame on you.

Lame.

Lame.

bighappy: Actually, you should review your history. It's Bush 1 and 2 who have been champions at financial scandals. As for Obama, there is NO scandal here; Fitz made it clear that there was zero indications that Obama was involved at all. Same for the Rezko thing (although, for Rezko, there WAS involvement from another party: Karl Rove). It's not a scandal until and unless anyone can provide any evidence whatsoever that Obama was involved in any way. To date, there has been no such evidence produced.

Mr Isikoff should be made to pay back all the salary he has received from Newsweek for the last 8 years. Obviously, he has just awaken from a self-induced coma. Where have you been, Mr. Isikoff, for the last 8 years as the biggest fraud has been perpetrated by the Republicans on the American people and the world, leaving a stinking trail of incompetence, greed and corruption in it's wake? What questions did you ask? You are a hack, a poseur and ought to be writng your columns on toilet paper.

Mr. Isikoff, you are roiling the hornet's nest. Already the Obamabots are baring their fangs and are posed to bite you in your behiind. But good for you, you are a breath of fresh air as opposed to the stale one in the hallelujah chorus

Clinton admiinistration had so far the record number of financial scandals. obama has a good start to break this record. At least he set one of his own: first ever scandal before he is even in the office. More "chamnges" ahead?

Mr. Isikoff, you are disturbing the honet's nest. Already the Obamabots are showing their fangs, ready to bite your behind. But good for you, you are a breath of fresh air, as opposed to the stale one in the hallelujah chorus.

This is really foolish Op-ed by Times. Who is Michael Isikoff and who cares? I haven't heard such absurd stated questions from Newsweek for a long time. Is Newsweek hurting financially and they need to run tabloid blog articles like this? Time magazine can do better and have done better in the past. Mr. Isikoff is a shameless tabloid writer and I certainly deserve better than this blah blah poppycock of questions framed as smear-tactic lies. Mr. Isikoff is a hooligan and knows that Mr. Fitzgerald muzzled the President-elect Obama initially and just recently all of the explanation was released. Mr. Isikoff needs to practice a little more exercize with his wetware and Times needs to practice a better role at editing their publication.

This is really foolish Op-ed by Times. Who is Michael Isikoff and who cares? I haven't heard such absurd stated questions from Newsweek for a long time. Is Newsweek hurting financially and they need to run tabloid blog articles like this? Time magazine can do better and have done better in the past. Mr. Isikoff is a shameless tabloid writer and I certainly deserve better than this blah blah poppycock of questions framed as smear-tactic lies. Mr. Isikoff is a hooligan and knows that Mr. Fitzgerald muzzled the President-elect Obama initially and just recently all of the explanation was released. Mr. Isikoff needs to practice a little more exercize with his wetware and Times needs to practice a better role at editing their publication.

I don't object to the specifics of the questions, but I find some of them premature and the accusatory tone unecessary.

Mr. Obama has stated that Mr. Fitzgerald asked them to delay releasing their report. If you doubt that claim then voice it, otherwise I see no reason for your snarkiness.

Also, I suspect that you didn't wait to see if Mr. Obama released the report as promised because you had a deadline to meet and column inches to fill. I guess your snarkiness begets mine.

Obama doesn't own his house Tony Rezkos Lawyer does and hes about as dirty as they come. Bush has to go as well as Obama. We need actually to hand out pink slips to all of the elected officials we have and start fresh. Go back to the beginning. I thought the government was supposed to work for us and not the other way around. Its time to get rid of the family empires who have ran this country into the ground. Get rid of the Federal Reserve Bank thats the biggest part of the problem. Our country is run from behind the scenes by rich greedy men. God Bless America and help us to get out of this mess in one peice.

and what would you ask Dick Cheney about his recent admission of calling for waterboarding and torture? What would you ask Cheney and Bush about the false pretenses under which 4,000 Americans lost their lives and scores of others are coming home severely injured? What would you ask if you had subpoena power regarding the rationale for war? A more interesting post would be: What I would ask the current administration over the past 8 years had I had the bravery and executive cover to do so ...

give me a break. cover what matters -- a depression that's looming, a South Asian powder keg, substantial break throughs in medicine and stem cells in countries other than the United States, the emerging research demonstrating the plasticity of the human brain well into the golden years ... act responsibly not like a written word paparazzi

That is why real professionals like Fitzgerald has subpoena powers and not jokers like you. As far as #4, talk to the professional reporters at the Chicago Tribune instead of some fantasy image of yourself. Sometimes I am amazed at how you guys even a job with this kind of intelligence.