Obamessiah: "It is just politics as usual..."

In defending himself and other politicians in the state, Obama reached back in time.

"There are extraordinary traditions of public service coming out of Illinois, even after Abraham Lincoln," he said.

The alleged misdeeds of Blagojevich may be extraordinary, Obama said, but he argued that Illinois holds no trademark on crass politics.

"We know in Washington that lobbyists have disproportionate influence," he said. "We know that in statehouses and city councils all across America there are times where people are not thinking about what's best for the public good."