Rahm--On Tape 21 Times!

Check out this little item in the Sun-Times' Michael Sneeds's column this morning about the number of times U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Obama's White House Chief of Staff designate, is captured on tape by the feds talking to representatives of Gov. Rod Blagoyevich about the appointment of Obama's replacement in the Senate:

Sneed hears rumbles President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is reportedly on 21 different taped conversations by the feds -- dealing with his boss' vacant Senate seat!

A lot of chit-chat?

Hot air?

Or trouble?

• • To date: Rahm's been mum. Stay tuned.

Anybody got any thoughts on the number of times Rahm dropped the f-bomb during those 21 taped conversations? Yesterday, the Obama transition team announced its own review of conversations between its staff and the governor came up with a clean bill of health for the Obama team; however, the transition team is not releasing a report of its findings listing all contacts supposedly at the request of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office. That information will have to wait until December 22. Sneed's sources within Fitzgerald's office have proven pretty impeccable over time. Was his office trying to save Obama from huge embarrassment by asking him to hold off on reporting anything yet and dropping this little item in Sneed's column?