But corruption ain't anything new in Boston, where one of the most prominent former state reps was the brother of the #1 guy on the most-wanted list. Of course, the FBI wasn't a whole lot of help in that particular case.

Wow, never thought I'd be grateful for the whacko gun nuts...no, wait. Still not. But a bit closer than yesterday.

Unless he doesn't like fiction -- He still ought to love it.

Cool. I may get that and the sequel for him then.

The FBI had been investigating Blago for some time now. So why did they arrest him today?

"Governor Blagojevich has been arrested in the middle of what we can only describe as a political corruption crime spree," Fitzgerald said. "We acted to stop that crime spree."

Fitzgerald is a pretty blunt guy, but even by his standards, the news conference was harsh. "The conduct we have before us is appalling," the prosecutor said. "There's politics and there's crime, and sometimes when people get in trouble is when they start to blur those lines." He spelled out exactly why he was so disgusted by the allegations:

This required unusual measures and there are a lot of things going on that were imminent. There's a bill sitting on a desk that we think a person who was supporting that bill has been squeezed to give $100,000. And to let that bill be signed, to me, would be very, very troubling. There's a hospital -- a children's memorial hospital -- believing that it's getting $8 million, but its CEO has not coughed up a campaign contribution, and the thought that that money may get pulled back from a children's memorial hospital is something that you cannot abide. There is an editor that they'd like fired from the Tribune, and I laid awake at night, worried whether I'd read in the paper in the morning that when there were lay-offs, that we'd find out that that person was laid off.

The FBI's Grant was just as damning: "If [Illinois] isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor."

[link]

"a children's memorial hospital"

Gee, would that be Children's Memorial Hospital do you think? Pretty cagey there, Fitzpatrick.

I can totally understand Lisah's bf. I'm so happy that Patrick Fitzgerald is in the District of Northern Illinois.

Oh, someone just reminded me that the Lt. Gov who will pick the Senator if Blago is out has actually been campaigning to have him recalled or ousted for a couple of years now. Man, I just live for this shit.

Patrick Fitzgerald is totally a rock star.

It's making me nervous that they are talking about how corrupt Illinois govt. is when our President-Elect is a politician from Illinois. Not that I think he's crooked, but I'm sure it'll give my dad ammo for more crack-addled emails.

Fortunately, there's a good bit of tape of Blagojevich cursing and ranting about the Obama camp refusing to play ball. Not that that'll change anything. (There's also speculation that the tip off on all this came from Obama's people as well, though I don't know how reliable that is.)