| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Barack Obama's 'politics as usual' revealed by Rod Blagojevich trial |
| 2010-07-04 |
| In a year when Americans are arguably more cynical and disillusioned about politics than at any time since Watergate, the corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich is a sobering reminder of how its practitioners operate. Although "Blago", the foul-mouthed bouffant buffoon, is the main attraction of the Chicago production, the former Illinois governor's reluctant co-star is Barack Obama. The President forms part of the proceedings each day even though the judge has spared him a personal experience. Reports of the Blago trial cannot make comfortable reading for the White House for they provide what Mary Mitchell, the Chicago Sun-Times columnist, described as "an unfiltered look at how the sausage is made in Illinois" |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Blago had the power to appoint a new Senator when the seat was vacated because of Obama's presidential election victory in November 2008. Clearly, he thought the seat was a valuable prize. "I got this thing and it's f------ golden and I'm not just giving it up for f------ nothing," he said in a conversation recorded by a federal wiretap. Blago's instinct was that Obama -- who he mockingly described as "this historic, f------ demi-god" -- would be willing to pay to have his preferred choice be duly appointed. This is why we have the 17th Amendment. This was 'politics as usual' prior to its adoption. At least the people get to chime in at the end of any appointment, as opposed to never getting to speak in the old days. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-07-04 12:15 |