DAY’S END ROUNDUP

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) fails to convince some bloggers that he never dealt with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) in a pay-to-play scheme for President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat, while conservatives question whether Obama made a strong enough call today for Blagojevich to resign.

After Jackson confirmed today that he is the “Senate Candidate #5” listed in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich, Balloon Juice’s Michael D. accuses the Illinois congressman of giving a “non-denial” of his involvement. Jackson denied any wrongdoing at a news conference this afternoon, and emptywheel says the conference was essentially a campaign commercial for Jackson’s candidacy for Obama’s seat. If Jackson didn’t ask his associates to talk to Blagojevich, as the complaint alleges they did, Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey wonders who did send them.

Obama left himself some wiggle room today in his call for Blagojevich to resign, Abe Greenwald writes at contentions, pointing out that the call came from a spokesman, not Obama himself, and that it did not explicitly advocate Blagojevich’s resignation. Obama was late in joining the chorus, The Campaign Spot’s Jim Geraghty concludes, noting that other public figures had already called for Blagojevich to step down before Obama’s spokesman issued today’s statement.

The Cabinet nomination games have begun, AMERICAblog’s Joe Sudbay writes after news that Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wants to slow down the nomination process for Eric Holder, Obama’s pick for attorney general. Specter and committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) could be falling out over Holder’s nomination, suggests TPM Muckraker’s Zachary Roth, noting that the two senators have had a good relationship over the years.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Jackson = Five – A. Serwer, TAPPED
Minnesota Recount: Unanswered Questions – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Obama Lied? You decide. – Josh Painter, RedState
Wingers Should Give Up – Josh Orton, MyDD
Obama Team’s New Questions Site – G. Sargent, TPM Election Central
Pelosi Enables ‘Culture of Corruption’ – Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
Who Runs for Obama’s Seat? – J. Geraghty, The Campaign Spot
Reid’s Shot at Blagojevich – Steve Benen, Political Animal
Critiquing Saltsman’s ‘Online’ Plan – MichaelTurk – The Next Right
Jackson, Jr.’s Non-Denial of Misconduct – Michael D., Balloon Juice

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Jackson Says He Didn’t ‘Pay to Play’ – The Hill
Obama Calls for Blagojevich to Step Down – NY Times
Panel Overseeing Bailout Criticizes Treasury Dept. – Washington Post