"Obama, to his credit, got through this system with very little mud on his suit, " said David Mendell, a Chicago journalist and the author of an Obama biography.
Mr. Axelrod was also close to Mr. Blagojevich, although the two men appear to have gone their separate ways in 2002, when Mr. Blagojevich ran for governor against the advice of his former political guru, Mr. Mendell said.