Senator Winfrey? Oprah "Amused" by Blagojevich Pick

Mon., Jan. 26, 2009 10:05 AM PST by Gina Serpe

AP Photo /Tammie Arroyo

Oprah Winfrey has already offered her troop-rallying services to President Barack Obama. Now comes word that she would "absolutely not" do the same for shamed Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich…so it's probably just as well he never asked.

Blagojevich, who opted to make the media rounds today in lieu of appearing at his own impeachment trial, dropped the bombshell on Good Morning America that he was seriously considering asking the talk show queen to replace Obama as the Land of Lincoln's junior senator.

"She seemed to be someone who would help Barack Obama in a significant way become president," Blagojevich said on the first of many televised appearances scheduled for today.

"She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators."

Not to mention a much bigger bank account.

As for Winfrey, she unfortunately didn't catch Blagojevich's comments live, but said on BFF Gayle King's Sirius XM satellite radio show, "If I had been watching as I normally watch, from the treadmill, I would have probably fallen off the treadmill."

In a seemingly rare attack of good sense, however, Blagojevich said on GMA that he ultimately decided against offering the political post to Winfrey as "she probably wouldn't take it, and if I offered it to her, how do you make sure it doesn't look like a gimmick and embarrass her?"

A question for the ages, if ever there was one.

"I'm pretty amused by the whole thing," Winfrey told King later, before making clear that she would "absolutely not" be interested in the position.

"I guess you're under consideration but no one tells you you're under consideration...I would have to say: Where would I fit it in with my day job, my night job, my radio job, my magazine job?"

Not that she's not qualified.

"I think I could be senator, too," she said after King asked if she was flattered that people actually believed she would be a capable politician. "I'm just not interested."