On Snow Blowing and Blowing Hot Air Generally

I sure like the snow blower I gave myself as an early Christmas present.

Some relevant stats:

Last time I shoveled my 110 foot driveway, it took me the better part of three hours and left me with some significant lower back pain. For subsequent years, I hired my mechanic and his plow but every time he raised his prices it was signifcant pain in the tookus, which is located slightly south of the lower back.

One of Sears' Finest Craftsman blowers wasn't cheap but two things occur to me. If we have as much white stuff this year as last, it will pay for itself. And I haven't had as much fun in winter since I wore a little blue parka with mittens strapped in the sleeves.

Our governor seems to be having some great fun blowing hot air this winter. Quoting from Kipling, making a dramatic protestation of innocence and promising to "fight, fight fight" the charges, he's slammed the "lynch mob" that's after him. Honestly, if his attorney Sam Adam Jr. had used the word "honestly" one more time in Blago's newser the other day, I might have started to believe he was honestly trying to convince us he and the Gov are being honest with us. Then I remembered the old joke about how you can tell if a lawyer is lying to you: his lips are moving.

Several friends of mine think it's possible the governor will get whacked before he ever goes to court. What could he possibly spill that would be grounds to kill him?

I think Blago will be around for a long time. The books say psychopaths enjoy watching their victims writhing in agony.

Illinoisans? Prepare for a long winter of writhing.

Sign is Gone, Feelings Remain

I probably should have explained the picture I used in my last Blago Blog, for those of you who didn't see it first in the Chicago Sun-Times. If you click on the photo, you'll see that the sign posted on the utility pole says "Warning, Rats." The photographer captured a great image as our governor-for-the-moment left his home.

Now somebody, we can only guess who, has taken down the sign.

Too bad for Blago that they can't make the federal charges, or the audio tapes used as evidence in those charges, go away as easily.

He'd probably like Lisa Madigan to go away, too. She's our Attorney General who yesterday filed an unusual motion with the Illinois Supreme Court, asking the justices to determine Blago is unfit to serve or, in the very least, to strip him of the ability to appoint anyone to fill Obama's senate seat.

Madigan is petitioning the high court to have gubernatorial duties temporarily turned over to Lt. Governor Pat Quinn until either an impeachment hearing is held or Blago is found not guilty of the charges against him in federal court. It appears to be a gutsy move for someone who reportedly would like to run for governor herself in two years, although she told reporters yesterday that she has not been thinking about politics all week.

Of course not. Politics in a time of legal crisis never seen previously in the Land of Lincoln? Heavens no. Not in the Madigan family.

I'll bet she and her dad Michael, the powerful speaker of the Illinois House and the guy who has been talking up the idea of impeachment since spring, have only focused on what's good for Illinois in their discussions this week.

Asking the supremes to strip the governor of his powers is a legal maneuver that hasn't been attempted before in Illinois. The high court may agree but just as easily could refuse to grant Madigan's motions, thereby leaving Blago's fate in the hands of the legislature. I think Madigan's dad has wisely opted to see what will come of his daughter's efforts before he commits to calling for a vote that would initiate impeachment proceedings.

Why not wait? By doing so, he leaves Lisa in the spotlight. I thought she aquitted herself well in front of the cameras yesterday. Those clips of her wielding the sword of justice would play well if she chooses to run for governor in 2010.

She'll have to have something going for her. My prediction is that Pat Quinn will assume gubernatorial duties by mid-week, if not sooner. Failing any mis-steps of his own, I have no doubt he will ask voters to keep him in office after 2010. If he governs well, heck, Lisa's going to have a real battle on her hands to boot him out.

Which leaves us to ponder all of the other questions raised by the governor's arrest this week. Namely, did President-Elect Obama know about the sale of his senate seat and, if so, did he do anything to promote it?

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says he is blameless. I hope that's true.

I hope there isn't a tape gone missing, or a witness yet to be heard, that would implicate him in Blago's Nightmare.

Could a governor-for-the-moment bring down a president-elect? Hmmm.

Late Breaking...

President Bush is quoted as calling Governor Blago's actions "astounding."

I wonder if he's reviewed anything Dick Cheney has done in the past eight years.

Oh, and Blago is reported to be in an "upbeat" mood today. Of course he is. Any day out of jail is a good day, right Rod?

More Blago Blogging

Friends from out of state are wondering what we have in our water in Springfield that turns our politicians into crooks.

My theory is that you have to be just a little crooked to even think about going into politics, especially in Illinois where the Statehouse is regarded as one large trough consistently filled with taxpayer money that's free for the taking. Or so it appears once the new pols first step through the capitol building doors.

Perhaps it's something in the air, not the water. You get elected and somehow you become more susceptible to the bribery/fraud/theft germs that swirl around Springfield. Maybe it's like Legionaire's Disease or that sick building bacteria. Maybe it's just what happens to politicians when they get too close to someone else's money.

So what to do about Gov Blago? What to do, what to do?

He won't resign. That's a given. He doesn't think he's done anything wrong.

He probably won't shoot himself. While convenient for everyone (except his kids) I'm not advocating that idea. Although a Dr. Kevorkian seen walking up to the front door of the Gov's home would make for an interesting bit of news tape.

Asking the legislature to impeach Blago is a little like asking a third grade class to do it. They'll run around and poke each other and make a lot of noise but, ehhhh, it ain't gonna happen. I think there's been one impeachment proceeding in the last hundred years in Illinois. Not quite a glorious track record. Plus our lieutenant governor thinks it would be "bad" for the state. I'm not quite sure how it could be any worse than having our sitting governor arrested but maybe Pat Quinn thinks that an impeachment proceeding might bring other wrongdoing out of the woodwork. Such things have been known to happen during criminal trials; who knows what other schemes might come to light during an impeachment hearing. That ups what cops refer to as the "pucker factor" quite severely in Springfield. And we certainly don't want any puckered politicos.

Another and more practical issue for the impeachment crowd to consider, like a trial judge, the legislators will need evidence. Where's that going to come from? Surely not from the FBI or the U.S. Attorney. Never known as willing to share their toys, they are busily building their own criminal cases against The Hair.

Which leaves the untested maneuver that Attorney General Lisa Madigan has spoken of to all in televisionland who will listen; she could ask the Illinois Supreme Court to rule that Governor Blagojevich is unfit to govern. That might actually work but let's think politically for a moment. It's rumored Madigan, daughter of the Speaker of the House and perhaps the wisest man in Springfield, would like to be Governor herself someday. By getting rid of Blago, she places Pat Quinn in the office until the next election, giving him two golden years of experience he could use against her in 2010. Is she willing to place the state's well-being before her own political wishes?

Personally, I agree with my friend Mel that we guide our governor into a field somewhere and allow anyone who wishes to do so to throw rocks at him for an afternoon. Perhaps a couple knocks on the head would realign his brain cells into some semblance of order.

Other than that, we'll just have to wait and see. Who knows, there may be a real statesman out there who will come up with just the right idea.

In time for Christmas, perhaps?

Arrogant, Stupid or Both?

About six this morning, Robert Grant, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI office in Chicago, called Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to tell him there were two agents outside the door of his Chicago home with a warrant and that he should let them in.
Minutes later, the man whose hairstyle should have gotten him arrested years ago was in custody, charged in a seventy-six page federal complaint with, among other things, conspiring to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Elect Barack Obama.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says the Feds moved now rather than waiting until their case was pristine because of the damage that could have been done to the state and to the senate .

Those of us who live here have known it for years, but could Illinois politics appear any dirtier to the rest of the world? Our former governor in prison for corruption and the man who was elected as a reformer facing charges. As SAC Grant put it, “"If Illinois is not the most corrupt state in the country it is certainly one hell of a competitor."

Grant says even the most cynical agents in his office were shocked and revolted as they listened to wiretaps of the Governor, among other things, allegedly plotting to force the Chicago Tribune to fire those editorial board members who called for Blago's impeachment.

Wow.

A Brad Thor or Vince Flynn novel couldn't be any more compelling.

I think a remark from the judge in the recent O.J. Simpson trial sums up ol' Blago pretty well. She said something about Simpson to the effect of, “At the beginning of the trial I wondered if you were arrogant or stupid. Now I realize you’re both.”

Could any politician appear any more arrogant than to try and sell the highest profile U.S. Senate seat or more unbelievably stupid than to be caught on tape saying, “The whole world is listening,” and then go on to discuss other allegedly felonious schemes designed to amass great personal wealth and power?

Our governor has been redefining the meaning of the word “arrogance,” since the beginning of his first term when he turned his back on his father-in-law Dick Mell, the old time Chicago pol who helped him get elected. Since then, he’s alienated not only the Illinois legislature but the citizenry, which shows in the paltry thirteen percent approval rating he scored in a recent poll.

Even now I doubt he’ll do the humble, honorable thing and resign. No, Ol' Blago won't fall on his sword for anyone. I predict his megalomania will lead him to attempt to fight the charges against him while retaining his office . . . unless the Illinois legislature votes to impeach him. It wouldn't even surprise me if he tries to fill Obama's senate seat, although legislators are reported to be drawing up a bill that would keep that from happening.

Whatever the case, this is all fascinating to me, especially in light of Blago and Senator Dick Durbin’s recent call for President Bush to pardon former Governor George Ryan, now imprisoned for influence peddling.

Hey, considering the overcrowding in U.S. prisons, maybe that’s not a bad idea.

Even better, move over George. Make room for The Hair.