Commenting on the Obama team’s promise to conduct its own review of “who talked with disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and when — and precisely what they said,” Politico quotes a “top Washington defense lawyer,” who does not approve of the effort and is willing to say so.

His summation: “It never helps when you dig up the dirt in your own yard and you find stuff.”

Really? Would this “top lawyer” give his clients the same advice? I can just imagine that monologue: “Oh no. No. Nope. Don’t do that. It’s better to be ignorant than informed. If there’s something wrong, or the appearance of something wrong in your house, it’s best you not know about it. Remember, what you don’t know won’t hurt you.”

Problem: We learned ages ago that what you don’t know can hurt you. Granted, I’m not an attorney, but I have a brain, plus nearly 20-years experience as a public relations counselor, and a relatively successful one at that. If I were in the room when an attorney recommended that a shared client avoid an internal investigation, I’d politely recommend the attorney be drawn-and-quartered.

Anyone who has ever managed a controversial issue knows this much: You ALWAYS want to find out what’s going on in your own house. It’s much better when you learn information before others do, especially if that information involves something not good. That way, you have a chance to gain first-mover advantage on the clean up. The public is much more forgiving when you voluntarily initiate reform.