Blago's Cabinet Confusion

Tapes played at former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's trial on charges of racketeering, extortion and fraud yesterday show he discussed the idea of making a deal to appoint Valerie Jarrett, a friend of then-President-elect Obama's, to the Senate seat he was vacating in exchange for a Cabinet appointment for himself.

The only problem was Blagojevich wasn't quite sure of the name of the department he hoped to lead. Here's an exchange between the governor and an aide, as reported in today's Washington Post:

"Am I going to be the new secretary of health and human services? Is that what it's called? HEW. What's it called? What is that thing?" Blagojevich asks aide Robert Greenlee in one conversation.

"HHS," Greenlee responds.

Blagojevich then says, "HHS. I should know . . . health and human services, right?"

The scary thing is I'll bet at least some Cabinet appointees over the years, in both Democratic and Republican administrations, have had about this level of familiarity with the organizations they were tapped to lead.