Gov replies -- but he never answers

Carol Marin talks about the governor this morning in her Sun-Times column. In this story it starts off with the Governor attempting to have a press conference talking home mortgage relief. This was supposed to be about this "positive" story but the reporters who were there had other ideas. There were questions not about home mortgage relief but Tony Rezko.

Rogers kicked off the questioning: Governor, did that conversation happen?

Blago: “Let me answer that question with an answer. I’m not a party in that trial. I’m not following the trial. It would be inappropriate of me to comment on a trial I’m not a part in.”

Rogers tried again: Don’t the people of Illinois deserve to know whether or not those allegedly incriminating conversations took place with Stuart Levine, a person who has pled guilty to a variety of federal charges?

Blago: “I already answered your question. Those characterizations do not characterize how I operate.”

Rich Samuels of WTTW: Did Blagojevich have a conversation on an airplane with Stuart Levine?

Blago: “You know it’s a good question. I’m not a party in that trial. I’m not in a place where I think it’s appropriate to comment on a trial I’m not involved in.”

Then Carlos Hernandez-Gomez of CLTV: Was the governor’s chief of staff Lon Monk clearing decisions through Tony Rezko as Levine has testified?

Blago (taking a noisy sip of water): “Let me answer that question. I’m not a party to that trial.”

Then Phil Rogers once again: What was the governor’s relationship to Tony Rezko and Stuart Levine?

Blago (another noisy sip of water, his eyes peering over the paper cup):

“Look I’ve asked and answered that a million times. You just ought to go back and take a look at your clippings.”

I'd like to have seen that press conference. It's not wonder he's in his "bunker". He don't want to take questions about this case. I don't blame him, but there are some legitimate questions he's avoiding. Surely he can't avoid them forever, but he certainly can's assume that things are all hokey dorey. Marin continues...

All they show us is that since the feds began showering the Blagojevich’s administration with subpoenas three years ago for everything from state hiring practices, to how lucrative pension investment contracts were handed out and to whom, to the governor and his wife’s personal finances, there isn’t a single answer on a single one of those clippings that provides citizens of this state with a clear answer to any question about his conduct or his relationships.

And if the governor is referring to video clips of past news conferences, all you’ll see, time and again, is the governor running for the door. Literally.

So, budding crisis managers, the lesson here is don’t call a news conference unless you can say something that doesn’t insult the intelligence of the public.

If you were reading this column. I tried not to give too much away almost reads like a lesson for both aspiring crisis managaers and aspiring journalists. The lesson for aspiring journalist and I will include in that description citizen journalists is to never stop asking questions.