[Info-phone]

When Republicans believe Obama is wrong, the GOP should “offer a better solution, instead of just opposing him,”

Wow...... I like that!


Problem is, like your post title implies, this anonymous group of republicans put up a vid, and a SINGLE high profile Repub comes out and denounces it.

Where was he when they decided to put it up there? Is the RNC that split that they would not tell the former house speaker anything about it? WHO were the people that made this decision?

I want to know names, not the vague faceless "RNC".

[LClan439]

Short answer: he got elected by being a "reform" candidate from the Democratic side after the previous Governor, Republican George Ryan, went to jail on 18 counts of steering state business to friends and associates for bribes.

Underachiever!

But one also needs to add the following. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, was involved in both cases - Mr. Ryan before and Rod Blagojevich currrently. And the attorney for Mr. Ryan happened to be a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District - James Thompson. Mr. Thompson was the prosecutorial force that removed Governor Otto Kerner (D), many years ago, and it gave him a platform on which to become Illinois Governor, a position in which he served approximately 14 years. What comes around, goes around and around and around.

Illinois politics is corrupt on both the Republican and Democratic sides - a point often obscured in national discussions which seek to reduce it all to just machine politics in Chicago. People surveyed in Chicago pretty much said "Meh, politics as usual."

[citicroego]

A noteworthy alternate perspective.

Kristen Atlee writes to Bill Anderson:
I know you've been critical of U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago, and I was wondering what your response was to his -- what I consider -- shocking abuse of power in the Blagojevich case. Specifically, I'm referring to Fitzgerald's demand that the Illinois House "limit" its impeachment inquiry lest it interfere with his sacrosanct investigation.

It's a sad sign of American decline when an appointed federal prosecutor can overrule an elected state legislature on a matter of state interest. If you remember the various accounts of Watergate, special prosecutor Leon Jaworski went out of his way not to interfere with the U.S. House's impeachment of Richard Nixon. Jaworski understood that removing Nixon from office was the top priority. He also knew that indicting Nixon in office would only make the president dig in his heels and fight to retain his office at all costs. Mr. Fitzgerald never learned this lesson.Anderson responds:
Indeed, I agree with Kristen wholeheartedly, and should have spoken out sooner. In my view, Fitzgerald is a worse offender than the man he has indicted, for Fitzgerald has used his official position to launch abusive prosecutions and to make public statements about guilt and innocence that prosecutors are ethically and legally bound NOT to make.

Prosecutors are not supposed to make public statements that would be regarded as inflammatory, and his statement about "Lincoln turning over in his grave" certainly crosses that line. (Michael Nifong was disbarred in part because of his public statements that he made early in the Duke Lacrosse Case.)

Unfortunately, in the past couple of decades, federal prosecutors have become bigger players because federal criminal "law" has grown like a huge cancer cell. Today, about any crime has an element that can be federalized, which gives federal prosecutors enormous power, given that federal criminal law is so nebulous that it is almost impossible for prosecutors to lose their cases, no matter how weak (or non-existent) their case may be.

[casinobonusese]

Dec 23, 2008

BLOGS & STORIES



Even Blago Is Presumed Innocent


by Scott Turow


Getty Images

Scott Olson


Chicago's preeminent crime novelist on how the Illinois governor can defend himself—and why bribery cases are so hard to prove.

Governor Rod Blagojevich’s press conference on Friday was short on details but long on cheerleader rhetoric (“I will fight, I will fight, I will fight”) and was meant to create the impression that the governor actually has a chance in the forthcoming criminal prosecution that will be mounted by United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. Long story short: Blago is toast. Fitzgerald’s need to charge the case earlier than he might have liked poses some practical problems for him and his staff. But there is no question that he will bring a compelling case, neigh on to invincible.

For the moment, Blagojevich and his artful and much-admired defense lawyer, Ed Genson, who recently successfully defended hip-hopper R. Kelly and unsuccessfully represented press lord Conrad Black, are willing to play every trump. The state of Illinois—both its legislators and citizens—desperately want to move forward. We need a U.S. Senator to replace Barack Obama and the General Assembly wants to move forward on a lengthy legislative agenda, led by a growing public demand to put an end to Illinois's reprehensible practice of unlimited campaign contributions, which all but four states in the country indulge in.

The only real defense for Blagojevich is to blame those quid pro quos on his aides and fundraisers and claim he was clueless.

Because Fitzgerald will not allow the General Assembly to delve into the evidence he has gathered, the Illinois House impeachment committee will end up having to charge Blagojevich for a wide range of abuses and lesser offenses. The legislators are acting responsibly so far and are reluctant to set a precedent that will allow a political majority to oust a Governor of the other party. Genson will demand due process for his client and the members of the General Assembly, no matter how angry they are, will do their best to allow Blagojevich to offer a defense. My guess is that it will be about four months before Blagojevich is ready to face trial in the state Senate.

All of this will give Blagojevich some leverage. At the end of the day, as his impeachment draws near, Blagojevich, who admitted a near desperation for money on the federal wiretaps, is likely to choose to take a leave of absence with pay, rather than getting thrown out of office and going to trial broke. But none of that means that the case Fitzgerald will bring by way of indictment in early January is really in trouble.

Some commentators have argued that the prosecution of Blagojevich, especially the charges that he was trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat in exchange for a job or massive campaign contributions, is not all that compelling. And it is surely true that it is hard for prosecutors to win cases of attempted bribery. So-called ‘crime in the head’—bad thoughts without outright bad conduct—does not tend to impress jurors.

But critics should not make the mistake of confusing a bare attempt case with the forthcoming indictment against Blagojevich. What Fitzgerald charged in the complaint is an astonishing and appalling pattern of extortion and bribery involving numerous completed crimes. Blagojevich awarded state contracts and state jobs to giant campaign contributors. The only real defense for Blagojevich is to blame those quid pro quos on his aides and fundraisers and claim he was clueless. And that dog will not hunt. Not only does the government have at least four witnesses who were deep in the scheme who will say that Blagojevich was fully knowledgeable, but the roster of witnesses of is all but certain to grow as Blagojevich intimates caught on the wiretaps make their own deals over time. Worst of all for Blagojevich is the venal chatter that came out of the governor’s mouth and was captured on the federal bugs that were in place for over a month. The man who called the President-elect of the United States a “mother****er” [of course a WNY automatic edit overides this article's actual word - Z] because Mr. Obama’s team wouldn’t play ball, will be damned in the end by his own words and his unambiguous intent to profit from public office.


COPYRIGHT © 2008 RTST, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[uranbigis]

Report: No 'quid pro quo' on Obama seat
December 23, 2008 at 3:48 PM


WASHINGTON - A report issued by Barack Obama's transition concluded that the president-elect had no contact with Gov. Rod Blagojevich or his office and no one acting on Obama's behalf was involved in any "quid pro quo" arrangement the governor allegedly sought for filling the vacant Senate seat with a candidate of Obama's choosing.

The report [PDF link – Z] was put together by attorney Greg Craig following Blagojevich's arrest for allegedly engaging in a scheme to sell the vacant U.S. Senate seat, as well as other state appointments and services.

Craig said Obama, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and his adviser, Valerie Jarrett, all submitted to interviews with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald last week. Craig said neither Jarrett nor David Axelrod, another senior adviser, had any contact with Blagojevich or his office.

The report did say that Dr. Eric Whitaker, a close friend of Obama's and a former Blagojevich cabinet member, was approached "by a member of the Governor's circle," deputy Gov. Louanner Peters, for information.

Obama has portrayed himself as taking a hands-off approach to the governor's decision about who to appoint to his Senate seat. In fact, the report noted that he was very much interested in who would succeed him in the Senate.

Once Jarrett said she was not interested in becoming a senator, Obama asked Emanuel to tell the governor that he would support Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., Ill. Comptroller Dan Hynes and Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth. Later, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Cheryl Jackson, a former Blagojevich spokeswoman who heads the Chicago Urban League, were added to the list.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden said earlier Tuesday that the report would show "no inappropriate contact" between Barack Obama's presidential transition team and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"I don't think there is anything to exonerate," Biden told reporters following an economic briefing. He said the report will show "there has been no inappropriate contact between any member of the Obama staff or transition team with Blagojevich."

Obama, who is vacationing in Hawaii, told his staff to review all internal contacts with Blagojevich and his staff.

Obama has said he was eager to release the report, but was asked not to do so by federal prosecutors.

"It's a little bit frustrating," he said last week. "There's been a lot of speculation in the press that I would love to correct immediately...By next week you guys will have the answers to all your questions."

Still, because the report did not include actual transcripts of what was said, questions may linger.

Obama ordered up the report earlier this month after the arrest of Blagojevich and the governor's then-chief of staff, John Harris, on charges that they had tried to barter the Senate seat for the governor's financial gain. Illinois law grants the governor sole power to fill a Senate vacancy.

On Dec. 15, Obama said the report was complete and had found no "inappropriate" contact between his aides and the Blagojevich camp. He said then that its release was being delayed until this week at the request of U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald.

When asked about the Senate seat shortly after the election, Obama suggested that he would be taking a hands-off approach. "There's going to be a lot of good choices out there, but it is the governor's decision to make, not mine," he said on Nov. 7.

Since then, the president-elect has declined to comment on whether there is any inconsistency with that statement and a recent Chicago Tribune report that suggested Obama's incoming chief of staff had presented a list of acceptable candidates to the Blagojevich administration.

"It would be inappropriate for me to comment, because the ... story that you just talked about in your own paper, I haven't confirmed that it was accurate, and I don't want to get into the details at this point," he said on Dec. 16.

-- Jill Zuckman and John McCormick


Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

[Liskaspexia]

Looking over this entire fiasco, you'd thing that Blagojevich (or any politician in this much trouble) would have something to bargain with, anything to keep him out of jail, and was just maneuvering to cut a deal.

What he has to bargain with is the governorship itself. Perhaps the deal he is looking to cut is keep me out of jail and I will resign and go away. But Fitz. is not going to let him off that easily.

[ChebuRAtoR]

DECEMBER 29, 2008

Illinois's No. 2 Predicts Blagojevich Impeachment


By SUSAN CAREY


Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said Sunday that he expects Gov. Rod Blagojevich to be impeached by the Illinois House and convicted by the state Senate, clearing the way for a special election in June to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Mr. Quinn, speaking on CBS News's "Face the Nation," said he hopes Mr. Blagojevich will be out of office by Feb. 12, when the state will celebrate the bicentennial birthday of Abraham Lincoln. The lieutenant governor added that he hopes Mr. Blagojevich will voluntarily resign. Either way, according to state law, Mr. Quinn would take over as acting governor.



Getty Images

Illinois Lt. Gov. Quinn said he hopes
Gov. Blagojevich will voluntarily resign.

Mr. Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on federal corruption charges alleging, among other things, that he conspired to sell Mr. Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. The governor has denied wrongdoing, said he will fight the charges and has given no indication he plans to leave office.

...

Mr. Quinn said Sunday that if he becomes acting governor, he would press the Legislature to pass a bill that would allow a temporary appointee to fill Mr. Obama's vacant Senate seat ahead of a special state election in June on a successor, ensuring that Illinois "has two senators at all times."

According to the Associated Press, Illinois Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, head of the impeachment committee, said last week that the governor's attorney, Edward Genson, asked her committee to subpoena two incoming Obama advisers, Valerie Jarrett and Rahm Emanuel, along with more than a dozen other individuals.

But U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald asked the committee not to subpoena Ms. Jarrett, who has been tapped to be a senior adviser to the president-elect, or Mr. Emanuel, the incoming chief of staff, to avoid interfering in the criminal investigation of Mr. Blagojevich that Mr. Fitzgerald is overseeing, the AP reported.

...

Mr. Quinn, the lieutenant governor, said the fact that the federal prosecutor has declined to release investigative information to the impeachment committee won't stand in the way of a vote to end the governor's tenure. "There is so much other evidence the impeachment committee has considered," he said.


Copyright ©2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

[infelconi]

I am sure, with the record of Illinois politics, that teh Lt. Governor will be a MUCH better man for the job of Governor.

I am sure his hands, and closets, are immaculate.

[Rounteetepe]

Ninj, I shall paint it darker still.

Here is a prior scandal that gives you a whiff of what corruption was like in the recent past. I know it's off-topic slightly, but it provides a broader context in which to view things in Chicago, for example - although corruption is really statewide. (There is a legitimate counter-balance to this in such places as Greater Hyde Park Chicago, where Leon Despres and other true reformers have emerged, this is also the neighbourhood of Barack Obama.)




Operation Silver Shovel was one of the most extensive corruption probes in Chicago history. In the end, corruption convictions were handed out to 18 individuals, six of whom were current or former city aldermen. Herbert L. Collins, former Special-Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division said about Operation Silver Shovel: "This investigation was initiated because of the concerns about public officials who were misusing their offices by permitting illegal landfills and other environmental misuses to occur." At its conclusion, Silver Shovel had uncovered everything from labor union corruption to drug trafficking and organized crime activity. Collins further stated that "the saddest aspect of this probe is that these activities represent an attack on the community by the very people who have been chosen as the leaders of the community."

At the heart of Operation Silver Shovel was an undercover operative named John Christopher. The government relied on Christopher's reputation as an insider to the Chicago construction business. Between 1992 and December 1995, Christopher, together with an undercover Agent, made more than 1,100 audio- or videotape recordings of meetings or telephone conversations of various targets of federal investigations. The tape recordings were used in investigations of undercover payments of bribes, undercover purchases of cocaine, and undercover money laundering of more than $2.2 million.

While assisting the government in Operation Silver Shovel, Christopher paid off city aldermen, the president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, and two city inspectors. Among those convicted were aldermen Ambrosio Medrano (Alderman 25th Ward), Allan Streeter (Alderman 17th Ward), Jesse Evans (Alderman 21st Ward), Lawrence Bloom (Alderman 5th Ward), Virgil Jones (Alderman 15th Ward), and Percy Giles (Alderman 37th Ward). All were found guilty of extortion except Bloom, who pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. Each man received a prison sentence and was ordered to pay restitution and/or a fine. Former Chicago Water Commissioner John Bolden was sentenced to one-year probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, while Thomas Fuller, the former president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, was given 37 months in prison and ordered to pay a $9,000 fine.

Christopher gained the trust of city officials to do business with him. They routinely accepted cash payments from either Christopher or an undercover Agent in exchange for helping obtain work for them. The following are examples of some of the interactions that occurred between Christopher, the undercover Agent, and those city officials indicted in Operation Silver Shovel:

• A city commissioner accepted a cash bribe in exchange for placing the undercover Agent's company on the city's snow removal work list. In addition to accepting bribes, the city official allegedly concealed the fact that the undercover Agent's company was a sham Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). The official informed the Agent that his trucks needed to bear the name of a legitimate MBE company, as city inspectors were "watching" the project for compliance with MBE regulations.
• An Alderman agreed to help the company find work, in return for a $10,000 contribution to his campaign. When Christopher said that many of the names of those "contributing" would belong to dead people, the city official replied, "the more dead the better." In January 1995, the official accepted the $10,000 contribution, along with a list of 15 fictitious contributors. That same day, Christopher's business was placed on the city's roster of minority snow removal contractors.
• During a two and one-half year period, an Alderman accepted cash bribes totaling over $36,000 in exchange for using his political power to benefit Christopher and an undercover Agent. This official interceded with several elected officials to assist Christopher's company for favors such as: getting Christopher's company falsely certified by the city as a woman-owned contracting company so that it could receive woman- owned set-aside business; obtaining a city liquor license for a proposed liquor store site to be operated by the undercover Agent; and gaining the support of several city officials for their assistance for various projects operated by Christopher and the Agent's company.
• Christopher and an Alderman met in a restaurant in 1993, during which time Christopher gave the official $3,000 in small bills and further discussed aspects of Christopher's business.
• Christopher told the associate of a former city commissioner that he was willing to pay a percentage of the value of an excavation subcontract, in exchange for the official's influence in helping Christopher's company obtain the subcontract work. Christopher then paid the men many times during the next several months, once giving one of the men a cigarette pack containing $4,000.

United States Attorney Burns stated: "The message is simple: Public corruption undermines the integrity of the political process. If a public official is corrupt, [the U.S. Attorney's Office] will do everything in its power to bring that official to justice."

Web Source

[Zesavenue]

For Immediate Release
Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2008

CONTACT: Jim Manley / Rodell Mollineau, Reid, (202) 224-2939
SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP STATEMENT ON GOV. BLAGOJEVICH’S APPOINTMENT OF ROLAND BURRIS TO THE VACANT U.S. SENATE SEAT FROM ILLINOIS
Washington, DC—Senate Democratic Leadership - Senators Reid, Durbin, Murray and Schumer -- made the following statement today in response to reports that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will nominate Roland Burris to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat. Earlier this month, all 50 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus called on Blagojevich to step down and under no circumstance make an appointment to fill the seat. The text of that letter is below the statement:

“It is truly regrettable that despite requests from all 50 Democratic Senators and public officials throughout Illinois, Gov. Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety. We say this without prejudice toward Roland Burris’s ability, and we respect his years of public service. But this is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat. Under these circumstances, anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus.

“Next week we will start one of the most important debates of the year – outlining an economic recovery plan to create jobs and invest in America. And in the coming weeks, we will be working to protect homeowners and consumers, make America more energy independent, strengthen our national security, and improve health care and educational opportunities. There is much work to do and a lot at stake. It is thus critical that Illinois and every other state have two seated Senators without delay.

“We again urge Gov. Blagojevich to not make this appointment. It is unfair to Mr. Burris, it is unfair to the people of Illinois and it will ultimately not stand. The governor must put the interests of the people of Illinois and all Americans first by stepping aside now and letting his successor appoint someone who we will seat.”

###
December 10, 2008

Dear Governor Blagojevich:

We write to insist that you step down as Governor of Illinois and under no circumstance make an appointment to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat. In light of your arrest yesterday on alleged federal corruption charges related to that Senate seat, any appointment by you would raise serious questions.

It is within the authority of the Illinois legislature to remove your power to make this appointment by providing for a special election. But a decision by you to resign or to step aside under Article V of the Illinois Constitution would be the most expeditious way for a new Senator to be chosen and seated in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and all Americans. We consider it imperative that a new senator be seated as soon as possible so that Illinois is fully represented in the Senate as the important work of the 111th Congress moves forward.

Please understand that should you decide to ignore the request of the Senate Democratic Caucus and make an appointment we would be forced to exercise our Constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated.

We do not prejudge the outcome of the criminal charges against you or question your constitutional right to contest those charges. But for the good of the Senate and our nation, we implore you to refrain from making an appointment to the Senate.


Sincerely,
Sen. Reid
Sen. Durbin
Sen. Schumer
Sen. Murray
Sen. Akaka
Sen. Baucus
Sen. Bayh
Sen. Biden
Sen. Bingaman
Sen. Boxer
Sen. Brown
Sen. Byrd
Sen. Cantwell
Sen. Cardin
Sen. Carper
Sen. Casey
Sen. Clinton
Sen. Conrad
Sen. Dodd
Sen. Dorgan
Sen. Feingold
Sen. Feinstein
Sen. Harkin
Sen. Inouye
Sen. Johnson
Sen. Kennedy
Sen. Kerry
Sen. Klobuchar
Sen. Kohl
Sen. Landrieu
Sen. Lautenberg
Sen. Leahy
Sen. Levin
Sen. Lieberman
Sen. Lincoln
Sen. McCaskill
Sen. Menendez
Sen. Mikulski
Sen. Ben Nelson
Sen. Bill Nelson
Sen. Pryor
Sen. Reed
Sen. Rockefeller
Sen. Salazar
Sen. Sanders
Sen. Stabenow
Sen. Tester
Sen. Webb
Sen. Whitehouse
Sen. Wyden