White House Discussed Job With Andrew Romanoff, Colorado Senate Candidate

I love all this "that's the way Washington works" garbage. Just because that is the way it works does not mean it is right. If that were the case then what the mob did to the construction industry and the garbage industry would all be fine. We would not have needed RICO statutes if we just stood back and said sure it may be immoral and/or illegal, but it's ok because that's the way it has always been done. The time is now to stop this slow degradation of our society. It is not right to fix an election whether that is the way it has always been done or not. We as a country are spending way too much time rationalizing immoral and illegal behavior and not enough time trying to put an end to it. We rationalize Obama's spending by saying "where were you when Bush was spending?". That is like saying ou did not say anything when your neighbor had a few too many drinks in his living room, therefore you cannot complain when he gets behind the wheel drunk. The that's the way it has always been done excuse has to stop. We need to demand more integrity from our elected officials. I also find it very hypocritical that these corrupt politicians love to point the finger at corruption in business. Could you imagine if a CFO were testifying in front of congress and said they signed off on accounting that they did not look at? They would be crucified, yet Congress sees nothing wrong with passing a bill they have not read. That should be flat out illegal! You should be automatically thrown out of office if you vote on a bill you do not understand or have not read.

"Messina had contacted Romanoff to see if he was still interested in a job with the U.S. Agency for International Development that he had applied for during Obama's transition period."

"The contact between Messina and Romanoff occurred before the latter formally entered the race against Bennet."

They talked to him about a job he had APPLIED for previously...and did so BEFORE he entered the primary. No harm, no foul. No broken laws, statutes or regulations. Get over it.

Isn't this similar to what Blagojevich is on trial for right now ?

Two Democrats coming forward and blowing the whistle? Time for an independant investigation. Only someone with something to hide would be against it.

I can't wait to hear the results of the trial for Chicago's former Governor. I hope he reveals the truth and all the sordid details with NAMES of all those involved, whether the left agrees or disagrees.

It seem that a person level of disgust is determined by their party affiliation on either side. It's okay if the scoundrel committing the scandal is your own guy.

News to me that offering a job to someone as an inducement to leave a race is illegal. I don't even find it particularly troubling. It just seems to be part and parcel of party politics--presumably a party tries to find the strongest candidates to advance its agenda (whether in a current legislative session or in an upcoming election).

This idea that this amounts to bribery seems to be a HUGE stretch of the applicable anti-bribery statutes. Clearly, the intent of the anti-bribery statutes is to prohibit situations where a legislator is induced to change his/her vote--or an executive branch official is induced to act or omit action affecting a particular interested party--in exchange for money or other valuable favor.

I'm sorry, but offering someone a job to induce him/her to leave a particular political race just isn't the same thing as bribery. That person ISN'T (yet) in a position of public trust that is abused by the offer or acceptance of an alternative job.

And this isn't like someone trying to buying votes from members of the public. The job offer is NOT being made as an exchange for that person's VOTE at the ballot box--whether the recipient of the offer votes for the party's chosen candidate, for the opposition party's candidate, or not at all is irrelevant to the deal.

All in all, these offers are to induce someone to drop out of a political race. Big deal. Nothing to see here...

Pres. Obama, former Pres. Clinton, Rahm Emmanuel, Romanoff and Sestak should all be rounded up and brought before the courts and Congress and put under oath to resolve this quid pro quo once and for all. If they refuse to testify, we can presume because they are guilty since it took them 3-months to come up with the "truth". It's that simple.

Where was the right's concern for the law before Obama was elected?

The pertinent question - illegal or just immoral? Either way, this just does not look good.