What did the president-elect know, and when did he stop knowing it? Yesterday, the Lightworker attempted to distance himself from his good buddy Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) in familiar Obama fashion – by tossing the accused crook under the bus:

“Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney’s office today. But as this is a ongoing investigation involving the governor I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time.”

This was apparently “not the Rod Blagojevich” he knew. Pressed harder on the question of whether he had discussions with the governor’s office about any potential candidates for his Senate seat, Obama replied:

“I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not… I was not aware of what was happening.”

That curious answer was somewhat Clintonesque, in the manner of, “I did not have political relations with that man, Governor Blagojevich.” It seems even more curious in light of the fact that Obama’s senior advisor David Axelrod had gone on the record last month with a statement which contradicts what the president-elect said. The Axeman said on Chicago’s Fox affiliate that although Obama had not designated any specific person to warm his Senate seat:

“I know he’s talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them.”

Team Obama quickly made a course correction and issued a statement from Axlerod:

“I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject.”

So “I know” became inoperative, to be replaced with “I was mistaken.”

“Fair enough,” said a relieved Obamedia. “No problem.”

But unfortunately for the Hope and Change set, there is a problem. Let’s set the Not-So-Wayback machine for November 5, more than two weeks before the day Axlerod allegedly “misspoke.” Quincy, IL television station KQHA reported:

Now that Barack Obama will be moving to the White House, his seat in the U.S. Senate representing Illinois will have to be filled.

That’s one of Obama’s first priorities today.

He’s meeting with Governor Rod Blagojevich this afternoon in Chicago to discuss it.

Three days later, the station followed up with this update:

Now that Barack Obama will be moving to the White House, his seat in the U.S. Senate representing Illinois will have to be filled.

Obama met with Governor Rod Blagojevich earlier this week to discuss it…

So in light of the two KHQA news reports, are we expected to believe that Axlerod really didn’t know what he originally said he knew?

Welcome to Crooks and Liars, Corruptocrat style. And you can throw that Hope and Change nonsense under the bus… that is, if there’s any room for it among the pile of political corpses. That’s the Chicago way.

Update 1: Some events which I can only be describe as Orwellian  have transpired since this was posted.

First, Connect Tristates, the site where the two KQHA stories my post linked to, scrubbed both articles.  They no longer exist, at least on that site.

Shortly thereafter, KQHA posted the following on the Tristates site:

KHQA TV wishes to offer clarification regarding a story that appeared last month on our website ConnectTristates.com. The story, which discussed the appointment of a replacement for President Elect Obama’in the U.S. Senate, became the subject of much discussion on talk radio and on blog sites Wednesday.

The story housed in our website archive was on the morning of November 5, 2008. It suggested that a meeting was scheduled later that day between President Elect Obama and Illinois Governor Blagojevich. KHQA has no knowledge that any meeting ever took place. Governor Blagojevich did appear at a news conference in Chicago on that date.

Well, that sure didn’t take long, did it? If history proves to be embarrassing, just change it! I wonder who made the phone call to KQHA? Fortunately, some intrepid souls familiar with this sort of revisionism by our unworthy political opponents, got screen captures.

The only way to perpetuate a lie is by telling more lies.

Update 2: Still up on the Governor’s website is this press release dated Nov. 5, with the following header:

Governor Blagojevich Congratulates President-elect Obama and Discusses U.S. Senate Seat To fill President-Elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat, Governor will use deliberate process to select suitable replacement

They can scrub this one too, but Gateway Pundit has the screen capture here.

If the KQHA report was indeed mistaken, as the station now maintains, why did it and the updated report which was posted three days later and appeared to confirm the Nov 5 story both remain on the Tristate website for over a month?

Update 3: When Obama insisted yesterday that he had “no contact with the governor or his office,” did he mean no contact at all or no contact about the Senate seat?

According to a Dec 1 report by stations WBMD and WZZY in Springfield, IL:

Governor Rod Blagojevich is turning to the president elect for help in a billion dollar budget shortfall.

The governor will meet Monday and Tuesday Philadelphia with Barack Obama. Their discussion will focus on Illinois’ $2 billion deficit and how the Land of Lincoln will manage its 2009 fiscal year.

Also, the suburban Chicago newspaper The Daily Herald reported on Dec. 3rd that Gov. Blagojevich flew to the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia to “tell fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama how bad things are in the state they both