Blago says 'the fix is in,' as he makes the talk-show rounds

Twice confronted with his own damning words allegedly caught on federal wiretaps, Gov. Rod Blagojevich refused to explain on national TV Monday morning why he called a U.S. Senate seat a "valuable thing" to be traded for campaign cash or a lucrative job - the heart of the most sensational federal charges he faces.

"These were private conversations that were taking place over a long period of time," he told Barbara Walters on "The View" in his third TV appearance of the morning. "Under no circumstances was I trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat. Under no circumstances did I break any laws."

Blagojevich continued to assert that the context of the taped conversations would show he is innocent. But the two-term governor refused to put the tapes into context, saying that will come in a distant criminal case.

On the other hand, Blagojevich attacked lawmakers for not allowing him to call witnesses for his impeachment trial who are named in the criminal case.

Blagojevich told Walters the Senate appointment involved "complicated politics" and an attempt to "leverage" the appointment to create jobs and health care coverage in Illinois.

Yet, federal prosecutors have the governor on tape prioritizing the appointment criteria this way: "our legal situation, our personal situation, my political situation. This decision, like every other one, needs to be based upon that. Legal. Personal. Political," he allegedly told his chief of staff in November.

"The View" appearance came in the middle of a rapid-fire list of TV interviews, starting with "Good Morning America" and the "Today" show. He is scheduled to go on CNN's "Larry King Live" tonight.

Back in Illinois, the state Senate is set to convene at noon to begin impeachment hearings, which are likely to lead to the governor's ouster perhaps by the end of the week.

Lawmakers may actually hear redacted versions of four of the tapes being used by prosecutors against the governor. The tapes allegedly feature the governor trying to trade a law benefiting racetracks for campaign cash.

Federal prosecutors and lawmakers requested their release to help with the impeachment trial.

Blagojevich told the "Today" show those tapes are out of context, and the whole recorded conversations would tell "the real story."

"I think the whole story will tell the story of a governor who's on the side of the people, who takes on powerful interests, expresses frustration and uses some language that frankly had I known that somebody was listening, I wouldn't have used," he said.

In his TV show appearances, Blagojevich was repeatedly cut off when he tried to make the argument that the process is unfair because he can't call certain witnesses. It is the same argument he has been giving since Thursday.

On "The View," the hosts even expressed bewilderment at why the governor was taking his case to the airwaves.

"This is turning into a bit of a media circus," said Whoopi Goldberg. "I wonder if you are not hurting yourself more than helping yourself."

The hosts then teased the governor. They asked him to impersonate disgraced President Richard Nixon and declare "I'm not a crook." He refused.

Perhaps the newest information to come out of the interviews was Blagojevich's claim that he considered Oprah Winfrey for an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat.

Blagojevich told "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer that a friend suggested the entertainment mogul and Chicago TV host who campaigned vigorously and early for the president. But he said he never talked to her about it because he was afraid it would come across as a "gimmick."

In all his interviews, Blagojevich acknowledged that his removal from office is certain, saying "the fix is in."

"You can conceivably bring in 15 angels and 20 saints led by Mother Teresa to come in to testify to my good character, to my integrity and all the rest. It wouldn't matter," he said on the "Today" show.

Aside from the accusation Blagojevich tried to sell President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat for personal gain, the governor is also accused of a number of pay-to-play type schemes including trying to obtain campaign donations in exchange for grants to a children's hospital.

On Monday, Blagojevich continued with analogies that compare his trials to the persecution of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela and his political career to the movies "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "It's a Wonderful Life."

He also called himself a sacrificial lamb for constitutional rights.

"I'm telling (the senators), 'If you want to throw me out of office then I'd be willing to sacrifice myself for the principle that everyone is entitled to a fair trial in America,'" he said on "Today."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.ilga.gov/senate/audvid.asp">LIVE: Video of the impeachment trial</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/packages/2008/blagojevich/">Daily Herald's complete coverage of the impeachment</a></li> </ul> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=267242">Images of Blago on 'View', 'GMA' </a></li> </ul> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="javascript:void(window.open('http://video.ap.org/?t=By%20Section/U.S.&g=0125dv_blagojevich_latest&f=ILARL','_blank','width=788,height=598,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1'));">Gov. to Defend Himself on TV Not at Capitol </a></li> </ul> <h2>Audio</h2> <ul class="audio"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=34">Blagojevich considered Oprah for Obama's Senate seat</a></li> <li><a href="/audio/blagotheview.mp3">Blago denies wrongdoing on 'The View' </a></li> </ul> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=267158">Governor's historic impeachment trial begins <span class="date">[1/26/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=267107">Who's who in the impeachment trial of Gov. Blagojevich <span class="date">[01/26/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=267047">Blago likens himself to King, Ghandi <span class="date">[01/26/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>