Illinois Governor taken into federal custody

I did originally think that this was going to get tied into Obama somehow, but it seems like the recordings actually point in the other direction and show that they were actually a point of verbal attack for this guy. Guess your not a great politician if you don't learn from others, like hmmm? politicians get secretly recorded...weird.

And now we have one of the Chicago/Illinois political criminals set to take over the White House. Blogo needs to go to jail. No one can say with a straight face or any degree of seriousness that der Fuhrer did not know about this. Even David Aledrod said as much.
Once crook down, many more to go. It's too bad der Fuhrer won't swing with Blago.

I'm not sure how this (corruption etc) can keep happening. Do people ever get tired of seeing their local leaders failing them and their communities?

It's sad that I'm not surprised. As a newly eligible voter, I'm not very enthusiastic about future elections. What's the point when they're just going to screw me over?

2 gov in jail at the same time. deep that is
4 out 8 of the last governors went to prision
i gues that why is called

ill and noise

peace-in

about time.

As an Illinois native, I actually jumped for joy at hearing this story - because now we have a chance to elect someone that ISNTa total corrupt scumbag, and will actually represent the ENTIRE state of Illinois, not just Chicago.

We got Obama, we can get someone else just as amazing.

Seriously though, thank GOD goblowmebitch got the axe.

Not surprising in the least. Politicians do this thing all the time, they just don't get caught.

Just like Ravi Batra said in his new book, the golden age is coming and political corruption will be taken care
of and people will be paid well for their labor.

Why? Politics just breeds and clones more. I think its the political science courses. To be able to steal and get away with it is a science. Thats why they call it political science else what is the foundation for calling politics a science? Go to College and learn all about the science of politics and politicians. Thats also why politicians see everything differently than non-scientific folks.

why not bush?

This is actually hilarious. When I saw this on CNN this morning, I had to bust up laughing. Everyone knew this was gonna happen. People have been saying it since before he was elected lol. I was not surprised at all. I was only wondering how this would affect Obama, but it seems he's keeping his distance.

IF HE IS THE GUIBLE HOW IN THE NAME OF WHOEVER DID HE BECOME GOVENOR OF ANY STATE.

i feel sorry about all of the dirty corruption of chicago & the surrounding suburbs spilling all the way downstate.

if the system is broken how can we be expected to try to repair it by becoming a part of it???

It was only a matter of time before he got caught. Finally it's here!

Oddly, Tony Rezko (Obama's association) was arrested also.

He also suggested, they said, that in exchange for the Senate appointment, his wife could be placed on corporate boards where she might earn as much as $150,000 a year, and he tried to gain promises of money for his campaign fund.

If Mr. Blagojevich could not secure a deal to his liking, prosecutors said, he was willing to appoint himself.

“If I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself,” the governor said in recorded conversation, prosecutors said.

A 76-page affidavit from the United States Attorney’s office in the Northern District of Illinois says Mr. Blagojevich (pronounced bluh-GOY-uh-vich) was heard on wiretaps over the last month planning to “sell or trade Illinois’ United States Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama for financial and personal benefits for himself and his wife.”

The charges are part of a five-year investigation into public corruption and allegations of “pay to play” deals in the clubby world of Illinois politics. In addition to the charges related to Mr. Obama’s Senate seat, they include accusations that Mr. Blagojevich worked to gain benefits for himself, his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions.

The authorities recorded Mr. Blagojevich speaking with advisers, fundraisers, a spokesman and a deputy governor, using listening devices placed in his office, home telephone, and a conference room at the offices of a friend, prosecutors said.

Federal authorities said Mr. Blagojevich’s chief of staff, John Harris, was also named in the complaint. Both men are expected to appear in federal court for the first time later Tuesday.

At a news conference, Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, said that Mr. Blagojevich had gone on a “political corruption crime spree,” and that his actions had “taken us to a truly new low.”

This @sshole Blagojevich, also called Barack Obama a M-F'er because Barack EXPECTED the Senate Seate to be given away for nothing!

Obama should have been able to just PICK his own successor instead of THIS crap!

I'll make a deal with you, if YOU don't try to BLAME Clinton for it then I won't BLAME BU$H!

By the way be HAPPY that Al Gore believes in Free Speech enough for you to come here and shoot your trap off!

More democrat corruption from Illinois, what a shocker...

Oh yeah, and I'm not sure how yet but I'm sure some crackpot douchebag at current.com will somehow blame George Bush and Dick Cheney for this.

The fact that President-Elect Obama associated with some unsavoury characters in Chicago is old news, and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright affair taught him to break ties with these people. He will throw Governor Blagojevich to the wolves and forget about him. That is what any canny politician would do.

wait... a politician corrupt. i didn't know that

lol they are all corrupt with the exception of a select few who remain to be unseen

I can already hear Hannity and Orally and Oxyface Limbaugh connecting every bit of this to Obama.

What a happy day for Illinois and a fearful day for many more corrupt poloticians. Second Governor in a row to end up in the Big House.

Here's the latest. This Governor did NOT like Senator Obama or his people, as was brought up in the tapes.

In the tapes you hear Blagojevich complaining about Senator Obama being non-responsive to him. At one point you hear Blagojevich say of Obama's people...F&%K them! (as reported by CNN)

Fitzgerald and Company waited until now in order to get Barack Obama out of the line of fire, but I guarantee you Neocon Radio will be twisting this around backwards.

Limbaugh, Hannity, & Beck and the 'murder by association' crew will ALL be out there inventing dots to connect to be sure!

They tried with Wright, Ayers, & Rezko, so I am sure they will try with Blagojevich as well!

I'm glad they were finally able to nail him. What a good 2 months for politics, Obama win and now here in Illinois we are going to be able to finally get rid of Blagojevich. He is such a douche, good riddance.

Feds should've waited to see who bought it and ruin his career too

What an ASS! Lock him up and throw away the key!

Bear, what kind of 'happy pill' did YOU swallow today?

Give us ALL some!

I agree, corruption is corruption, no matter who does it.

Barack Obama has been getting Liberals up in arms with his cabinet picks, but he said he was going to change the way things are done. If that means eliminating 'partisan' bickering then I am all for it!

Besides, Lib friends, he's not done picking yet. I am expecting Liberals for the Secy of HEW and Labor.

We will have a'mixed' bag instead of all cashews or peanuts.

Back to the subject, this corruption has to stop. Even McCain was against lobbyists. We need to clean house on the Federal, State, and Local levels of government!

If I had MY way, we would do away with 'party politics' altogether!

I think a pox on both houses is in order. Someone needs to go thru the capitol and clean house. Dirty dealings by both parties should not be tolerated by the citizens of ILL. They deserve better. I say put them all in jail and start over.

So sleep, what's your take on this?

I'm in such a 'good' mood today, I would KISS Rush Limbaugh!

(and don't be making off color remarks about my gender preferences)

Ill is a tough place to play politics. I think you need a criminal record before you can run for office. LOL.

On the West Coast everything is run by committee.

I guess that's why they call it the People's Republic Of Califonia.

Even our crime is run by gangs. Crips & Bloods.

Ok, here's the cue. We're going to try to pin this on Barack Obama, right?

Not me mind you.

I am not into 'murder by association'.

Glad they they are finding a face to pin this on, sadly he is probably the fall guy for something bigger. Doesn't it happen that way?

Listen to the money talk!

This is the way the world is bent. The government walks a 'crooked' mile to get to the money.

The mob as we know it runs a lot of cities today. I am originally from Youngstown, known as "Syndicate City".

Tony Naples the town 'boss' allegedly killed his own brother, that gave content to the scene in The Godfather series where Michael kills Fredo, his own brother.

The mob runs virtually every city with drugs and rackets.

Surprised?

What unmitigated gaul. Trying to sell Obama's senate seat. It's beyond disgraceful.

For Illinois, it's the best of times and the worst of times. We have one Governor still in jail - George Ryan, looking to commute his sentence. But hey, it's Illinois and we're kinda used to this.

Blagojevich also was alleged to be using a favors list, made up largely of individuals and firms that have state contracts or received taxpayer benefits, from which to conduct a $2.5 million fundraising drive before year's end.

Even Blagojevich's recently announced $1.8 billion plan for new interchanges and "green lanes" on the Illinois Tollway was subject to corruption, prosecutors alleged.

The complaint repeatedly makes reference to conversations secretly recorded by federal authorities.

The criminal complaint alleges Blagojevich expected an unnamed highway concrete contractor to raise a half-million dollars for his campaign fund in exchange for state money for the tollway project. "If they don't perform, (expletive) 'em," Blagojevich said, according to the complaint.

Wow! There's a revelation. Corruption in government. It's alway's been there.

And it crosses party lines as well. Ryan was a Republican, and Blagojevich was a Democrat.

The Federal Government has been run for years by an organized mob. They're called lobbyists.

"I want to make money," the affidavit quotes him as saying in one conversation.
U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement that "the breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering."
"They allege that Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States senator," Fitzgerald said."

Got to love Chicago politics.

The apple never falls far from the tree.

This certainly isn't comforting given all the other nonsense going on in the world.

Former Governor George Ryan, a Republican, is serving a six-year prison sentence after being convicted on racketeering and fraud charges. The decade-long investigation began with the sale of driver’s licenses for bribes and led to the conviction of dozens of people who worked for Ryan when he was secretary of state and governor.

The Mob still runs Chi-town, apparently.

Happy Birthday Rod...
And Merry Christmas..

I need another drink.

Doesn't Illinois have another governor in prison?

Corruption - meaning trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. Sad.