Harry Reid Isn't Only Politician Backtracking on Racial Comments About Obama

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

The Black Sheep

Ousted Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich apologized this morning for remarks he made to Esquire magazine about President Obama.

Blagojevich spoke about the phonies in politics. Referring to the president: "This guy — he was catapulted in on hope and change — what we hope the guy is. What the (expletive)? Everything he's saying's on the teleprompter. I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little Laundromat in a black community not far from where we lived. I saw it all growing up."

Monday morning, the former governor called the remarks a "stupid thing to say."

Black Mark

A remark former President Bill Clinton reportedly made to the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy after the 2008 Iowa Caucus has some tongues wagging.

The new book "Game Change" relays an incident in which Mr. Clinton was pressing Kennedy to endorse Hillary Clinton. The authors write: "Bill then went on, belittling Obama in a manner that deeply offended Kennedy. Recounting the conversation later to a friend — Teddy fumed that Clinton had said — a few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee."

No response yet from former President Clinton.

Reid 'Em and Weep

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in the midst of a media firestorm over his racially-tinged comments reported in that book. But one might not have known about the controversy, or Reid's original comments by watching Sunday's "60 Minutes" story about the book. The same goes for former President Clinton's remarks.

Media Research Center president Brent Bozell says of the omissions: "It's utterly shameless for CBS to cover this book and ignore the scoops about the racially charged comments of Harry Reid and Bill Clinton — but devote a very slanted 10 minutes to more of the same old McCain aides slashing Sarah Palin."

It's Complicated

The man who presides over the nation's tax administration system says he doesn't even do his own taxes because the tax code is so complicated.

IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman told C-SPAN he uses a tax preparer for himself: "I've used one for years. I find it convenient. I find the tax code complex so I use a preparer."

— Fox News Channel's Lanna Britt contributed to this report.