It would have been nice to respond to Illinois Governor Blagojevich's arrest today with a "No shit? Unbelievable!" Alas, it is completely believable, and anyone paying attention knows this was only a matter of time. Blogojevich is a hack, and a classic example of why " the Chicago political machine" has the reputation it does. Admittedly, I kind of like the who-cares-I-got-mine spirit of the Chicago City Council, and I have always been a fan of Mayor Richard M. Daley. But somehow, the Chicago extension into Illinois politics never seems to end well.
No wonder Barack Obama liked to keep his distance from those clowns. Still, this whole thing casts a huge shadow on the beginning of Obama's presidency. It's his now-vacant senate seat that Blogo was allegedly trying to "sell," among other things. Nice going, Rod.
The story itself just keeps getting better, although by better I sort of mean worse. Charlie Meyerson, the Chicago Tribune's online columnist, has a running play-by-play...
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Updated at 9:08 a.m.: Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., according to the FBI...
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Updated at 9 a.m.: Blagojevich is slated to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan today at a time that has not yet been scheduled, according to Randall Samborn of the U.S. attorney's office...
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Updated at 8:57 a.m.: On the issue of the U.S. Senate selection, federal prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate. An Obama spokesman had no immediate comment...
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Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field...
Updated at 8:48 a.m.: Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges...
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Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning.
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A Blagojevich spokesman said he was unaware of the development. "Haven't heard anything -- you are first to call," Lucio Guerrero said in an e-mail.
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Blagojevich was taken into custody hours after the Tribune reported that the investigation into allegations of pay-to-play politics within his administration had been expanded to include his pending choice of a Senate replacement for Obama. The Democratic governor has said he expects to make a decision on the state's next senator in weeks.
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Sources told the Tribune that investigators intensified their investigation into Blagojevich amid concerns that the process of choosing a new senator could be tainted. The actions by federal authorities came a day before Blagojevich's 52nd birthday.
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On Monday, Blagojevich said he has done nothing wrong in his stewardship of the state and challenged critics to record him because his discussions were "always lawful."
[edited for space and to keep sort of close the the Fair Use thing. Go here for the whole shebang.]
Here's hoping this asshat resigns post-haste and Pat Quinn, the state's Lt. Governor, can step in, appoint Obama's successor to the US Senate, and get Illinois off the front page. [Quinn's site has apparently crashed because I'm not the only one linking to it right now, me thinks.]
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