Defense Games and the Blago Kids

The trial of Governor Blagojevich is about to go to the jury. What a relief.

As I've said before, I don't think the G made its case on the major counts. It just didn't come across that way in news reports, anyway. Maybe if I'd been a juror sitting there day in and day out...

I hope the prosecution nails him. I'd like to see the slimey, shifty, sneaky SOB go away for a few years somewhere there are no TV cameras and no soft shoulders of the media to cry upon. Because that's precisely what the media has allowed him to do. At every opportunity. It's been shameless, one-sided coverage with no real attempt to determine what damage he might have done had he succeeded in his schemes.

The media has allowed him to bob and weave and shake his finger and smile and sign autographs and act the boob right there on TV. It's let him get away with bringing his kids to court, without finding social workers or shrinks to tell us how really damaging that can be.

The media loves a show, and Blago's lawyers have certainly put one on.

They've argued (in the media...so far the judge won't let them say it in front of the jury) that the Government didn't call certain witnesses because their testimony might have been helpful to the defense. Oh please. The "missing witness" defense is as classic as "if everything goes against you, attack the lawyers."

If Sam Adam and Company felt so strongly that the uncalled witnesses could have helped them, why didn't they subpoena them for the defense? In fact, why did the defense roll over at the last minute and call NO witnesses in Blago's favor, even Hair himself?

Cross examination.

So, instead of sitting up there like a man and taking the prosecution's shots in an effort to make his own case, our former governor brings his kids to the courtroom as a distraction for the jury.

It's all a show, something that has defined Illinois politics for years.

Reality happens behind closed doors. And, thanks to the rollover Illinois media, it's allowed to stay there.

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.

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?