By Selwyn Duke
The Democrat governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested by FBI agents on corruption charges at approximately 6:15 AM today. The arrests are the result of a three-year federal investigation that involved secretly taping the governor's conversations with the help of his friend and confidant, John Wyma. Reporting on the case, the Chicago Tribune writes:
In one charge related to the appointment of a senator to
replace Barack Obama, prosecutors allege that Blagojevich sought appointment
for himseld 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.Another charge alleges Blagojevich and Harris conspired to
demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for
editorials critical of him in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley
Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.Blagojevich and
Harris, along with others, obtained and sought to gain financial benefits for
the governor, members of his family and his campaign fund in exchange for
appointments to state boards and commissions, state jobs and state contracts,
according to the charges.
I've always known that "Blago the Terrible," as I and some others like to call him, could be the worst governor in the nation, and there's a lot of competition for that title. And to gain a little more insight into the kind of guttersnipe we're dealing with here, read excerpts from some of his recorded conversations as reported by TheSmokingGun.com:
"[A senate seat] is a f*****g valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." He was also recorded saying that unless "I get something real good," he
would appoint himself to the vacancy. "I'm going to keep this Senate
option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a
hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying. And if I don't get what I want
and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat
myself. . . . a frustrated and financially strapped Blagojevich referred to Obama as a "m**********r"
and said that he would not appoint an ally of the President-elect to
the Senate vacancy if "I don't get anything." Referring to Obama,
Blagojevich exclaimed, "F*** him. For nothing? F*** him." In a November
11 conversation, Blagojevich remarked that he knew Obama wanted Valerie
Jarrett, a longtime confidante, to succeed him, "but they're not
willing to give me anything except appreciation. "F*** them."
A real peach, huh?
Unfortunately, this is just symptomatic of Illinois politics, from the Daley machine in Chicago — where election day is sometimes like night of the living dead — right up to the capital, Springfield. Corruption just seems to infect so many major politicians in the state, which is why electing one of them to the Oval Office should give us pause.
Let's hope that Blago ends up in the big house like his predecessor. Unfortunately, though, since the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for Illinois to elect someone of significantly stronger moral fiber.
Oh, and you Illinoisans shouldn't think I'm dumping on you. Since we just elected the Illinois Lip to the White House, there is plenty of blame to go around.
© 2008 Selwyn Duke — All Rights Reserved
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