Illinois Governor Arrested on Corruption Charges

Let the jokes about politics in Illinois begin...

Here is a lesson about how NOT to go about filling a political vacancy if you are a Governor. (Chicago Tribune: 'Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Arrested on Corruption Charges')

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents for what U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald called a "staggering" level of corruption involving pay to play politics in Illinois' top office.

Blagojevich is accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy, including alleged attempts by the governor to try to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. Blagojevich also is accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for other official actions.

Innocent until proven guilty, of course. Either way, it would be pretty difficult to recover from his 13% approval rating. But, at least, he gets to keep his name on those Illinois Tollway signs, at least for a little while longer.

While in office, Blagojevich has been a decent education governor, providing needed resources to schools, but not tackling any of the truly vexing issues, such as school finance reform. That's all irrelevant in comparison to today's breaking news.

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