Saturday's All Day Gov Post

Dan Curry posts youtubes of old ads and writes

These campaign commercials from 2002 and 2006 attacking Il. Gov. Rod Blagojevich for corruption pinpoint what was known in Illinois at crucial junctures.

The 2006 ads are first and show the mature nature of the federal investigations against Blagojevich. Despite this, many Illinois Democrats endorsed him, including President-Elect Barack Obama. They will have to answer for putting their party before the citizens of Illinois.

I've played Claude Rains from Casablanca over in my head every time I've watched an Illinois Democrat react the past few days.


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House Speaker Michael Madigan's spokesman Steve Brown to the Daily Herald today,

Q: So does he regret co-chairing Blagojevich's re-election bid?
Brown: "That was a perfunctory act as chairman of the party."

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AP: Obama aides won't discuss Ill. governor probe

President-elect Barack Obama is refusing to answer any questions about the internal review he has ordered into Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged efforts to sell his former Senate seat, saying he will do so when the examination is finished.

The silence here may not be over a crime but humiliation that the Serbian kid from Armitage and Cicero cleaned their clocks in negotiations.

Teheran, Moscow, Havana, and all sorts of nasty folks will parse that transcript for pointers.

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Victoria Toensing: Fitzgerald Should Keep His Opinions to Himself

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's "conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave," according to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. But Mr. Fitzgerald's statement would, at the very least, make well-regarded former Attorney General Robert Jackson flinch in his. Almost seven decades ago, Jackson admonished a meeting of U.S. attorneys that they should be dedicated "to the spirit of fair play and decency . . . . A sensitiveness to fair play and sportsmanship is perhaps the best protection against the abuse of power . . . ."

She's right. Fitz and the FBI guy should start blogs if they want to Editorialize.

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If the Gov bamboozled savvy lawyers like Corboy we are in sad shape in Illinois: Local contributors denounce Blagojevich

Philip “Flip” Corboy Jr., of the Chicago law firm of Corboy & Demetrio, called it a “sad situation.”

“I, like every other person in this state, feel cheated and let down,” Corboy told The State Journal-Register. “He was elected to do a job and we’re ... now learning he probably couldn’t care less about the people. And that’s always disappointing.

“I’m embarrassed on one hand and disappointed on the other. When it all gets mushed up together, I really feel sorry for the people of Illinois. We know we deserve better.”

The Springfield-based Trial Lawyers Association was among the largest local contributors listed on Blagojevich’s campaign finance reports in the last two reporting periods.

Let's not compound Illinois's humiliation feigning stupidity. Everyone knew what was going on, and none knew less than those kicking points.