Obama calls for Rod Blagojevich to resign, then announces run for governor

Today, President-elect Barack Obama announced that he supports the movement asking for Rod Blagojevich's resignation. He went even further, deciding that since being president-elect wasn't enough, Obama put his hat in the ring for the governor's race.

Excerpts from the statement released through Robert Gibbs:

"The president-elect agrees with Lt. Gov. (Pat) Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois," Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said in response to questions from The Associated Press.[...]

Asked whether Obama supports a special election, Gibbs said Obama believes the General Assembly should consider how to fill the Senate seat and "put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the people of Illinois."

Aides say Obama is refraining from stating what that solution should be.

If Blagojevich resigns, Quinn would become governor and have the right to appoint Obama's successor. That would avoid a special election, which can be costly, and speed up the appointment of Illinois' junior senator.

For those of you coming from other sites or a Google search, Obama's not really running for governor. It's called utilizing a sense of humor.