Posted by
Mike Bates on Saturday, December 13, 2008 3:31:54 PM
On CNN Newsroom this morning,
CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano discussed with anchor Betty Nguyen
Barack Obama's pledge to disclose any contacts between his staff and
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich pertaining to his naming a replacement to
Obama's Senate seat:
QUIJANO: But, Betty, the question remains, when is it
exactly that the president-elect and his team will disclose what
contacts there actually were between their camp and people within the
governor's office? What is taking so long? The president-elect said
yesterday his staff was looking into it and would release that list in
the coming days. So we continue to wait for that -- Betty.
Hold it a minute. Barack Obama didn't originally promise on Friday to supply that information. He made that commitment on Thursday and CNN aired his statement live:
I have never spoken to the governor on this subject.
I'm confident that no representatives of mine would have any part of
any deals related to this seat. I think the materials released by the
U.S. attorney reflect that fact.
I've asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the
governor's office about this vacancy so that we can share them with you
over the next few days.
So it's been two days of waiting for that disclosure, not - as
indicated by Elaine Quijano - just one. Others on CNN have also voiced
mild frustration with how long it's taking to get the information out.
On Lou Dobbs Tonight yesterday, CNN congressional correspondent Jennifer Yellin noted that:
There are lots of questions at this point and
frustration because Barack Obama has not revealed all that he could
about who on his team may have had any contact. This really is Barack
Obama's style and I guess something we're all going to have to get used
to.
He collects the facts, he gets everything in a row, and he releases
it on his timetable. They think they really do have one chance to take
a bite at this apple, to get it all out there, and they want to have
all the information when they do, so we, in the meantime, are left to
wait, wonder, and feel a little frustrated. Lou.
For months we've heard how efficient the Obama campaign is, how
perfectly it functions. It was, we were told, quick and nimble in
responding to any challenge. The day after the election, NPR's
Don Gonyea hailed Obama's "well-organized, well-funded and
well-disciplined organization that always seemed to know how to respond
to crises."
So why the delay and hesitation now? It reminds me of another
president who, a decade ago, started being asked questions about a
possible scandal. Said Bill Clinton:
We are working very hard to comply and get all the
requests for information up here, and we will give you as many answers
as we can, as soon as we can, at the appropriate time, consistent with
our obligation to also cooperate with the investigations.
And that's not a dodge, that's really why I've – I've talked with
our people. I want to do that. I'd like for you to have more rather
than less, sooner rather than later. So we'll work through it as
quickly as we can and get all those questions out there to you.
It's already been more than two days and Obama hasn't responded.
How long does it take to gather information from a relatively small
number of trusted aides? Longer than Elaine Quijano realizes,
apparently.