Sam Zell: Obama Made Me Do It

First Christie Hefner says Barack Obama's election inspired her to step down as CEO of Playboy Enterprises to pursue a life of public service, and now Tribune Co. chairman Sam Zell is blaming the president-elect for his fiscal irresponsibility. From today's Wall Street Journal:

Although its diminished cash flow put real pressure on the company, Mr. Zell said he was aware of his predicament well before the broad financial meltdown that started in mid-September.

Asked why he didn't explore the bankruptcy option sooner, he said, "There's this guy who was just elected president of the United States, and he wrote a book called 'The Audacity of Hope.'"

All we need is for one more Chicago-based media executive to pin his actions on Obama and it'll be a legitimate Thursday Styles-worthy trend.