Shaking off that clean feeling

Well, argue all you want about where Knox started -- insider or outsider, reformer or just another tainted politician -- he's made his spots pretty clear with this one: love fest with Blackwell, as rumored.

Neither sidestepped Knox's self-proclaimed reformer credentials and Blackwell's decades as a City Hall insider. She made no attempt to conceal her displeasure with the new Board of Ethics, no-bid contracting laws and campaign-finance measures, all changes that Knox praised.

Because what do they have in common? Thirst for power! The Inquirer version of this story pulled no punches here either:

Knox - a businessman who has fashioned himself as an anti-corruption, anti-nepotism outsider - saw nothing incongruous in joining forces with Blackwell, an insider who inherited her political power from her spouse and stood alone in City Council two years ago to oppose campaign-finance limits.

More jarring even than the Blackwell alliance is the array of other folks getting Knox's nod. For example,

With Council candidates Matt Ruben and Vern Anastasio nearby, Knox said he and Blackwell will have a reform ticket.

Ack! Reformers, check your credentials at the door! PhiladelphiaWillDo picks up on this part of the story, noting that political scions Sharif Street and Bill Green head the list of Knox-endorsed Council candidates. Not all of these folks have returned the favor with a mayoral endorsement, but you can be sure they've promised their vote when Blackwell challenges Verna this summer . . .