I hope Blago gets some psychiatric help. He needs it.

I'm not sure how many caught some NPR this afternoon. There was a whole slew of callers from IL who basically said: "He's corrupt, so what, all politicians are corrupt, at least Blago got us childrens' health coverage, union bargaining rights, etc. Put the rest of the lot under the same microscope you'll find the same thing." At least for this outside observer, the waters have become a little murkier over the last couple days.

"That was easy."

He hasn't been judged incompetent or guilty in any court of law. Removed from office for what is, at this time, suspicion of unknown hankey-pankey. Hasn't someone illegally jumped the gun?

(Even though the man has bats in his belfry and is likely guilty as charger.)

...(typo) guilty as charged.

(just washed my hands and can't do a thing with them.)

...sic semper asshats

I find it highly unlikely that he is not guilty, but at the same time, I'm curious if the stuff on the tapes is really strong enough to convict him in court. What has been released so far shows that he is guilty of being an asshole, and certainly of having bad intent, but none of what I have heard so far really gets at a clear cut quid pro quo

...in a straitjacket.

And that would be true.

But it's still good to get as many of them as you can, and this asshat is a great start.

There is no no quandary and it isn't jumping the gun. He does not need to be convicted in order to impeach him and remove him from office. They are two completely different proceedings. The trial this week in the senate was his due process for the impeachment.

... is a self-fulfilling prophecy. After all, why would an honest person even go into politics if everyone is going to treat him like a criminal just for doing so?

"And that would be true.

But it's still good to get as many of them as you can, and this asshat is a great start.

-- dust1969"

A better start would be Dick Cheney. Or Karl Rove. Or Don Rumsfield.

The same thing should've happenened to Bush & Cheney years ago.

that cipher Patrick Fitzgerald bothers to press charges. My guess would be not.

They should wait for him to be actually -- I don't know -- indicted, before they strip him of constitutional rights. It isn't like he has a very good chance of being elected to anything in the foreseeable future, but if he manages to beat the federal rap they Illinois Senate is going to look like goons.

How soon will the press forget about Mr. Blago? Not soon enough. I couldn't believe the air/print time he was given this week to peddle his drivel through the media to the American people. There seems to be some problem with the media giving equal time to absolutely everything even if there is no factual basis for doing so. All ideas are not equal. Opinions are not facts. I think, in the era of 30 second sound bytes and blogs, that in the interest of headlines and ratings the press follow the path of least resistance; namely, they are lazy and publish everything and then milk the story for as long as possible.

I did not vote for Blagojevich in the last election. I cast my vote for the Green Party candidate out of protest. That said, I thought the impeachment trial was a joke and the Illinois Senate disgraced itself with that second vote and showed what a personal vendetta this was. The fact is, the Governor was never very good at governing and never worked well with the legislature. This had nothing to do with the Governors criminal conduct, which may or may not be proven. This was payback, pure and simple.

...what in the world is an "asshat"??

Anyway, Illinois has further disgraced itself and provided multiple entries for the "most politically corrupt state of all time" contest (it's in the final four with Alaska, New York, and Louisiana). One need only set foot in Chicago - a city which barely functions - and one senses that politicians there are not, shall we say, doing the people's business. So whattya going to do? Blago needed to go, and he most certainly needs therapy; his successor very likely will be found in similar waters. It seems to be the nature of things there.

And I don't think ALL politicians are equally corrupt; I'm convinced there are a few that still believe in public service. Just a very small minority.

Sadly, Illinois politics will remain in place with Blago gone. They'll basically have Pat Quinn catch the various legislative javelins they throw him during his term, and then serve up a new, acceptably corrupt pol as his replacement. Way too many palms in need of greasing for it not to play out like that.

I suspect there's a good chance that he won't be prosecuted and he'll return to public office in a few years.

he used this to explain why he was not guilty of corruption. I was listening to " Rach" Maddow on MSNBC , my favorite smart and funny newswoman whom I think is so sexy. Anyway, Rach showed a video clip of Blagojevich explaining why he was not guilty, this in terms of himself being " the cowboy accused of stealing that horse in town when he was really back on the ranch with his six other cowboy buddies". While watching it, she literally grabbed for this huge,movie theater jumbo sized bucket of popcorn to emphasize a point.

During his like 11-minute long explanation which she thought was a joke, saying something like " stay tuned folks! this is an interesting point here"; she kept popping the Orville Redenbacher's popcorn into her mouth as she made motions using her free hand trying to prove what an interesting explanation this now former governor, and obvious liar, was using! at one point, Rach literally called him "Governor F-wad" , of course unable to say the actual " Fuckwad" word on the commercial newscast!

But I guess like many other governors, the guy had his good points. I take it he was a Democrat , and from what an IL resident had said in Salon earlier, the guy did get the childrens health thing and the union-strengthening law passed. not sure, but I wonder if he was in a few years ago when IL had passed its Transgender-protection law, maybe even signing it.

Either way, he was probably better then our former CT governor, Republican John Rowland- another one accused of, and 100% GUILTY of, governmental corruption when he issued state construction/highway bids to this mafioso-owned company named Tomasso construction.

But in many ways, Rowland had his merits, such as giving grants out to purchase open space from the former Bridgeport Hydraulic company[ Aquarion], owners of the last large parcel of undeveloped land in Fairfield County.[ 4,800+ acres, I think] This so as to create what is now Centennial State Forest in Newtown, Redding,and Easton and also add to the Devil's Den nature conservancy's 1,700 acres in Weston and Redding, CT. All land that otherwise would have been used quite well to build who the fuck knows how many new yuppie-millionaire Mc Mansions on 2-3 acres lots each!

And speaking of " Fuck-wad" governors, the moderate woman we now have in Connecticut, Gov. M. Jodi Rell-R ; has gotten the state of CT deep into a financial hole similar to " Governator" Arnold Muscle-man out in California. 29 million plus into debt, she's slashing money from social services, funds to finish US rte. 7, you name it. Yet even though many state lawmakers[ mostly the majority Democrats] have been begging her to raise the 4.5% state income tax on the wealthiest 5% like all the Fairfield County and other Multi-millionaires and billionaires; by 0.5% to a full 5%?

Ms. Rell is so far against doing so for fears that " it will hurt those hard-working people whom create all the jobs here in Connecticut" oh well, at least the CT supreme court overruled her " moderate" republican ass and passed the CT Same sex marriage law on Nov. 13, 2008; the same one which passed in Oct. 2006 but she vetoed due to " religious concerns"!