Blagojevich is out!

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been convicted at his impeachment trial by Illinois state senate and thrown out of office. He now becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed from office by impeachment.

Blagojevich insisted Thursday he had done nothing wrong and should not be removed from office over criminal charges and complaints about his decisions that could not be proven.

"You haven't proved a crime, and you can't because it didn't happen," Blagojevich said at his Senate impeachment trial. "How can you throw a governor out of office with insufficient and incomplete evidence?"

"The whole world is watching Illinois today, and you know what? I'm tired of it," said Democratic Sen. Terry Link of the Chicago suburb of Waukegan. "You don't know whether to get angry or cry because we've been duped again. You were with the last governor, and we were with this governor," he said, pointing first to Republicans and then to his fellow Democrats.

The two-term Democratic governor spoke for 47 minutes, then smiled and winked at reporters as he passed the press box on his way out of the Senate.

Each senator was given five minutes to speak before the final vote on Blagojevich's fate. Republican Sen. Dale Righter of Mattoon called him "a devious, cynical, crass and corrupt politician."

Senators then voted unanimously to convict Blago, 59-0 and shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn was sworn in as Illinois' new governor.

Report Absolving Rahm Emmanuel From Blagojevich Scandal Due Out Tuesday

According to Politico

President-elect Barack Obama’s aides plan to release a report Tuesday absolving incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel of any impropriety in his contacts with the disgraced Illinois governor’s office, Democratic sources tell Politico.

In related news, after my own extensive research on the subject, I plan to release a report tomorrow naming myself as the World's Best Lover.

Patti Blagojevich's Family Runs To Her Defense

The potty-mouthed Patti Blagojevich's, the wife of recently arrested Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, family has come rushing to her aid today after Patty did a smash up job of being caught saying some very unladylike things on Federal prosecutors tapes collected from a wire tapped phone.

From Michelle Malkin:
Prosecutors say the governor plotted to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat and he was arrested Tuesday. In the criminal complaint, his wife emerges in recorded phone conversations as scheming to punish those who got in her way.

According to the complaint, it was Patti Blagojevich’s voice in the background spewing a suggestion to “just fire” some newspaper editors if the Tribune Co. hoped for state assistance to sell Wrigley Field, the storied home of the Chicago Cubs.

“Hold up that (expletive) Cubs (expletive),” she says as her husband is talking on the telephone. “(Expletive) them.”

Patti Blagojevich’s family acknowledged the salty language contained on the recordings but said those words were uttered at a stressful time as both she and her husband were under federal scrutiny.

“I can understand it. This a pressure cooker she’s living in,” said Deborah Mell, who will be sworn in as a state representative next month.

Patti Blagojevich, 43, has not been charged with wrongdoing, and she has not spoken publicly since her husband’s arrest.

Patti's sister Deborah Mell told the Chicago Sun Times and NBC, "“That is absolutely not my sister, Patti is a mother, a sister and a devoted wife. She is particularly protective of her family.”

Deborah Mell has got to be f*cking kidding right?!?! I have no problem with people of the potty-mouthed persuasion. I, too, have a bit of a potty mouth problem. My problem lies with the abuse of power, which she really has none of being only first lady, and a problem with taking part in the shakedowns.

I do believe the liberals and Democrats may have their answer to Todd Palin. The liberal media had such a problem with Mr. Palin's interjection in the firing of the Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, now let's hope they have the same "moral fortuitousness" about Mrs. Blagojevich.

Questions Arise About the Governor Rod Blagojevich/Obama Connection

As you all have heard, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was taken into Federal custody today on a slew of corruption charges, the most prominent charge being that he tried to sell President Elect Barack Obama's newly opened senate seat.

When asked for comment today, Obama had this to say "Obviously like the rest of the people of Illinois I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney's office today," said President-elect Obama this afternoon in Chicago, speaking of the criminal complaint against Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich for corruption. "But as this is a ongoing investigation involving the governor I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time."

And when asked if he had any contact with the Governor about this issue, Obama said "I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening."

Seems a wee bit confusing because when David Axelrod, Obama's senior adviser, appeared on Fox News on November 23rd, 2008, Axelrod had this to say about Obama's interaction with the Governor " "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."

Today, The Office of The President Elect released a statement saying that Axelrod misspoke on November 23rd. This evening David Axelrod issued a statement of his own. ""I was mistaken when I told an interviewer last month that the President-elect has spoken directly to Governor Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy. They did not then or at any time discuss the subject."

According to Federal Affidavit's, on November 11th, 2008, Blagojevich told an associate that Obama was not going to appoint him to a cabinet position because of the negative press surrounding himself. He then said that he knew Obama had a preference for a specific candidate and that "“they’re not going to give me anything except appreciation. Fuck them."

I'm no Federal Agent, but it would seem to me that if Blagojevich knew Obama had a particular candidate in mind, that there would have to be some kind of contact between them because this was not reported in the press. It would also seem that if Blagojevich knew what that particular candidate was prepared to "offer" him, either Obama offered Blagojevich that information, or Blagojevich had contact with this unnamed candidate, who most likely would relay that information back to the President Elect. Either way, Obama is in up to his knees on this one.

Even more staggering about this Chicago ring of corruption is the fact that Rahm Emmanuel, Obama's newly appointed chief of staff, was also a top advisor of Rod Blagojevich in his gubernatorial race.

But wait! There's more!

You remember the name Tony Rezko right?? That was the guy that sold the family Obama a piece of land at a grossly under priced rate and is now a convicted felon for demanding kickbacks from Chicago politicians for fundraising efforts. Well he is tied into this as well. Rezko raised phenomenal amounts of money for both Blagojevich and Obama. It is known that Obama has already used to his influence to secure a real estate deal for Rezko while he was just a lowly state senator. Rezko was supposedly a right hand man of the corrupt Blagojevich as well.

Obama's defense is, as it always has been, to play it cool and say "Oh wow, Really?? I had no clue that he was such a bad guy! I swear I didn't know anything!". The same defense he used with Ayers, the same defense he used with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and countless others. It makes one wonder, if the President Elect is just one big lying sack, or worse, is he actually stupid and dimwitted enough to have absolutely no idea what kind of corruption is going on right under his nose. If the former is true, we can deal with that. There are legal measures such as impeachment or a recall of the vote. Obama can rot in jail for the rest of his life and that is fine, as long as he stays away from politics. If the later is true, we are in BIG trouble. How can a man that is supposed to be the leader of the free world be so dim and nieve to not see that kind of trouble coming right at him??