Obama Investigates Self; Concludes No Wrongdoing

Imagine Democrats accepting a self-investigating report from a Republican president about potential criminal wrongdoing by the president or his staff. That is exactly what President Barack Obama's administration is asking you to do with the release of its report on the allegation made by U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) that the Obama White House had offered him a federal job in exchange for dropping his bid against turncoat Sen. Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania primary this month. The White House report says the alleged offer of U.S. Navy Secretary would have had to occur after the President had already nominated Ray Mabus to the post. The report relies on the fact that Specter switched parties a month after the Mabus appointment was made; however, that assumption is based on the White House not having prior knowledge of Specter's intent to switch parties.

The report acknowledges that federal positions were discussed with Rep. Sestak in consideration to "avoid a divisive Senate primary." It insists, however, that all of the positions discussed with Sestak were merely uncompensated advisory positions that would have allowed him to remain in his House seat. This is where the report gets really funny. The White House enlisted former President Bill Clinton "to raise with Congressman Sestak options of service on Presidential  or other Senior Executive Branch Advisory Board" at the instigation of Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Shades of Rod Blagojevich trying to sell Obama's senate seat for a position in the administration? Congressman Sestak rebuffed the overtures made by Clinton according to the report. Observant readers may recall that Clinton, during the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, enlisted then U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson to extend a job offer to Lewinsky at the U.N. in order to silence her and convince her not to cooperate with the Independent Counsel's investigation, which ultimately led to a recommendation of impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Don't hold your breath waiting for Democrats to investigate the allegations made by their own U.S. Senate candidate. There will be no need for a special prosecutor. We'll just be told it's time to move along, there's nothing to see here. More important matters require our attention. And don't you just love how the administration conveniently releases the report on the Friday afternoon before Memorial Day weekend, hoping that many reporters have already started their vacation weekend and will have forgotten the whole matter by the time they return to work next week?