Team Obama: 'We're clean!'

The Obama transition team's absurd self-investigation of BlagoGate has concluded they did nothing wrong. I'm shocked into astonished silence. Allow me to recover my composure, and I'll update.

UPDATE: Allahpundit summarizes:

Obama talked to Emanuel and Axelrod about his preferences for the seat, then Emanuel talked to Blago once or twice and to Blago’s chief of staff (who’s also been indicted) four times to relay those preferences.

Mary Katharine Ham suggests Obama is "approaching a fight with the hubris of Apollo Creed," which is just such a damned fine metaphor I had to quote it, even if it might be condemned as racist. (You can compare Obama to any famous personality in history -- Lincoln, JFK or Jesus -- but if you compare him to a black man, that's "racism.")

Racist or not, MK's metaphor suggests Obama's greatest liability at this point: He's enjoyed such a free ride from the media as a candidate that he might imagine he's automatically entitled to fawning coverage as president. Two words: Jimmy Carter.

UPDATE II: If we're going to do "racist" metaphors, however, this is like O.J. Simpson's lawyers releasing a report about their own internal investigation "proving" that, the last time O.J. saw Nichole, her head was still attached to her body.

John Hinderaker at Powerline says, "Bernie Madoff can only envy the press relations that allow Obama's self-exoneration to be reported straight."

The Smoking Gun reports that the feds have already interviewed Obama. Ace has questions about the role of SEIU, particular union goon Patrick Gaspard, who's been appointed to a key role in the Obama administration.

Team Obama may think themselves very clever for this little self-absolution stunt, but they've just kicked the can down the road. Not many Washington reporters are even in Washington this week, and the White House press corps won't just quietly accept this flimsy explanation. Expect to see a lot more scratching around on this story next week, and especially after New Year's.

The real danger, BTW, is not really to Obama himself. It's Emanuel who's in trouble, because he's got to start his job as White House chief of staff with this dirty Chicago business hanging around his neck. Not good image-wise for the"Hope 'n' Change" franchise, and a serious distraction to somebody trying to do the hardest job in Washington. WHCOS is big, big, big responhsibility, and the last thing you need is a COS who's distracted by his own corruption scandal.

UPDATE III: Headline of the Day:

Obama team probe of Obama team
finds no Obama team impropriety

Amazing how that works, isn't it?