Tel-Chai Nation

The classically corrupt governor of Illinois will hopefully do us all a favor and say goodbye to his office tomorrow:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scandal-plagued Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich could announce on Monday that he will leave office, the state's top legal officer said on Sunday.

Blagojevich was arrested last week on charges of swapping political favors for cash, including an attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama following his November presidential election victory.

"We have heard that there is a possibility that tomorrow he will make an announcement where he will step aside," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan told NBC's "Meet the Press."

"I don't know if that means he will resign or take another option that is provided under the Illinois constitution where he can voluntarily recognize that there is a serious impediment to his ability to carry out his duties, and therefore temporarily remove himself," she said.

Madigan, Blagojevich and Obama are all Democrats.

Yup, and let's not forget...Rahm Emanuel, whom the Chicago Tribune (via Hot Air) discovered had contact with Blagojevich discussing the seatings:

Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Barack Obama’s pick to be White House chief of staff, had conversations with Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration about who would replace Obama in the U.S. Senate, the Tribune has learned.

The revelation does not suggest Obama’s new gatekeeper was involved in any talk of dealmaking involving the seat. But it does help fill in the gaps surrounding a question that Obama was unable or unwilling to answer this week: Did anyone on his staff have contact with Blagojevich about his choice for the Senate seat? [...]

One source confirmed that communications between Emanuel and the Blagojevich administration were captured on court-approved wiretaps.

Another source said that contact between the Obama camp and the governor’s administration regarding the Senate seat began the Saturday before the Nov. 4 election, when Emanuel made a call to the cell phone of Harris. The conversation took place around the same time press reports surfaced about Emanuel being approached about taking the high-level White House post should Obama win.

Emanuel delivered a list of candidates who would be “acceptable” to Obama, the source said. On the list were Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, Illinois Veterans Affairs director Tammy Duckworth, state Comptroller Dan Hynes and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Chicago, the source said. All are Democrats.

Sometime after the election, Emanuel called Harris back to add the name of Democratic Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan to the approved list, the source said.

This does raise eyebrows, I think, and tells that Emanuel is not suited for the job he's scheduled for. As for Blagojevich, it's not just that he may resign, he SHOULD resign, and make things a whole lot easier for everyone.

Others on the subject include Paxalles, Adam's Blog, Soccerdad, Big Mouth Frog, The Other McCain, The Strata-Sphere, Public Secrets, Internet Scofflaw, Cookiecrumb Express.

Labels: political corruption, United States