No more politics as usual!

I've got this thing and it's f***ing golden and I'm just not giving it up for f***ing nothing. I'm not gonna do it.

~~Rod Blagojevich

Even aside from the ferret atop his head, Illinois's governor is one ugly bastard.

The guy was arrested by the FBI today because he has apparently been planning on putting his job of appointing someone to replace President-Elect Obama's seat in the Senate to good use by trying to leverage a chunk of money, a lucrative job for both himself and his wife, and maybe even--get this--a job in President Obama's Cabinet.

Well, I guess it's good to have goals, isn't it?

Blagojevich has been charged with two counts: conspiracy to commit fraud (a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison), and solicitation to commit bribery (up to 10 years).

I know that the reputation of Chicago politics rivals that of Tammany Hall, but as our pal Jody wrote, this is just embarrassing, both to the fine state of Illinois (and here in South Bend, we have a close connection to Chicago) as well as to the President-Elect. I don't believe that P-E Obama had anything to do with Blagojevich's machinations, and I don't believe my buddy Rahm Emanuel (I bet he's going ballistic right about now) did, either, but this has to be as irritating to both of them and all of Obama's advisors as fire ants down your pants. (I'll tell you my story about ants in the pants sometime.)

As always, it amazes me that these assholes think that they are untouchable--apparently Blagojevich has known for a while that he was under investigation for fraud, and knew that the Feds might be listening in...which of course, they were. Gee, didn't you think they might be listening to your conversations, you numbnuts? The conversations where you talked about how this thing was "f***ing golden?!"

I sincerely hope they throw his ass in jail for the maximum time allowed--I'm pulling for 30 years! I am utterly and completely disgusted at seeing this kind of Machiavellian maneuvering, and I hope the Feds send a clear message that it is no longer acceptable to behave in this manner. To Blagojevich and others of your ilk: if you didn't get the memo, it is no longer politics as usual, and the American people are engaged and ready to hold you to standards to which you seem to have a hard time holding yourselves. Consider this notice given!