The Blago Interview

I had to watch Blago try to dig himself out of his hole on Rachel Maddow tonight.

This guy is slick. Really slick. Either that or he really believes his bullshit.

He came in with his talking points, for sure--"The fix is in..." "Saints and Mother Teresa," "I was just trying to help people!"

But Maddow sits back and lets him hang himself. (Metaphorically!) She even offers him a way out--though it's not really, because we've all heard the tapes, so he can't really deny it. Instead, he raided an Obama speech for his talking points, but he ends up tripping over his words.

Also, one more reference to breast and cervical cancer and I'm filing a sexual harassment suit.

Blago: Still Comedy Gold

I am fairly sure that it is Rod Blagojevich's goal in life to provide me with laughs and column fodder.

That said, here's the latest. Because I simply cannot resist.

I couldn’t agree more that we need more diverse representation in the Senate. I’m the last person who wants to see an all-white body claiming to represent the American people. But that doesn’t make supporting a suspect governor any better.

I’d agree with blogger matttbastard when he said:

"Yeah, thank you ever so much for giving every not-racist a handy example to righteously point out ad infinitum whenever they want to play the race-card-card."

Simply put, in post-Obama America, we don’t need to act as if we need appointments from corrupt governors to put black Senators in office. And we certainly don’t need to allow said corrupt governor to use race as a cover for his own shady dealings. It’s beyond counterproductive, it’s insulting and cynical.

Illinois can do better than this.

But oddly, like Spencer Ackerman and Robert Farley, I do have some grudging respect for just how gangster Rod Blagojevich actually is.

Read the whole thing.

Theme Song for Rod Blagojevich

Seriously.

Blagojevich

Hey kids. Sorry I haven't been around so much--it's been finals week, and between writing papers about Sarah Palin and about arresting journalists at the RNC, and studying for my Law final (which is today) I've been tied up for a while.

I did manage to squeeze out a piece for GlobalComment on Blagojevich. Because he's hilarious, and it gave me an excuse to talk about Rahm Emanuel more.

“There were too many investigations and allegations to not believe that his time in office was not going to end badly,” Joe Wolfe, Chicago resident, said of Blagojevich. “I think I speak for most Chicago and Illinois residents who have followed the governor’s story when I say that I wasn’t so much shocked at the arrest as I was STUNNED by the charges.”

Wolfe, who twice voted for the Democratic governor, continued. “No one expected that the laundry list of charges brought against him December 9, 2008 were for actions committed just since Obama was elected president! The nature of Blagojevich’s alleged crimes border on pathological.”

...Rumor even had it that Rahm Emanuel was the one who tipped off the United States attorney to Blagojevich’s blatant scam, but a source close to Rahm has denied it. Perhaps he just sent a dead fish instead.

In addition to trying to auction off a Senate seat, Blagojevich is also accused of pressuring Chicago Tribune management to fire writers critical of him, and using the Tribune’s bankruptcy and a deal with the sale of the Chicago Cubs, owned by Tribune Co., as leverage.

And if all this wasn’t enough for you, December 9 was also International Anti-Corruption Day. And December 10 was Blagojevich’s birthday.

Read it.

Wish me (and Karthika!) luck on my final. I'll be back in action soon, I promise.

Also, everyone congratulate Karthika--she's about to be finished with yet another degree.