2. LabDancer says:

    And hel-LO there, Ed Genson.

    What? You say he’s gone, missus emptywheel? That goltin’ gen has left and gone away?

    When’s the last time someone in MacBlago’s position described his departed legal counsel to one media person as reminding him of “Clarence Darrow” and to another [Maddow] as in his mind a lot like “F. Lee Bailey”.

  3. kspena says:

    AND…the second vote bars blogo from ever holding state office again….Now that hurts….”you’re not only otta here; you’re forever otta here….

  4. Leen says:

    Just wish the U.S. congress applied the same standards of accountability to Bush, Cheney and the gang that the Illinois legislature applied to Blago

  5. bobschacht says:

    We haven’t seen the last of Blago. He will be doing his darndest to taint every jury pool in the country. The country will turn its lonely eyes to him, and the networks will pander to him, much like they pander to Sarah Palin.

    Bob in HI

  8. Leen says:

    Amy has Iglesias on too! Great interview

    “SCOTT HORTON: I think it’s quite problematic for him to involve himself in this, given that relationship, so probably other lawyers in the President’s staff should be addressing this.

    But I think the threshold issue is very clear, and that is whether or not the White House is going to say, “No, you don’t even have to answer this subpoena.” We have a district court judge saying that was an absurd position. Indeed, I’d say that’s pretty much the uniform position in the legal community. It was an absurd position. So he will have to respond to the subpoena. He will have to sit in the hearings, and he’ll have to respond to questions.

    That still leaves open the issue of whether or not he can invoke the privilege with respect to specific questions. And, you know, the implication of the privilege suggests—it implies very strongly, because the privilege covers his communications with the President—it suggests that Karl Rove had discussions about these matters, the US attorney firing and also the prosecution of Governor Siegelman, with President Bush directly. And if so, there’s no doubt but that these things, all these things, would have been improper, potentially even criminal.”

  9. Sixty Something says:

    Good to see Blago go.

    There comes a time, and this was one of those times, when all representatives of honest governance should come together and it looks like they did in this case. It was good that the decision was unanimous.

    My feelings? Kick out all the crooks, Dem or Repub.

  10. tanbark says:

    Now we need a reporter to stick a microphone in Senator Burris’s face and ask him if he feels that ex-governor Blagojevich was hounded from office.

  12. Leen says:

    o.k. folks just to expose more of my ignorance about the law. How the hell did they impeach Blago with no prosecution?

    I don’t like what I have read or heard about Blago but how did they pull this off without a prosecution?

    • bobschacht says:

      As long as I’m here, IANAL, but I’ll see if I can ’splain this.
      First off, an impeachment is a political trial, not a trial to assess criminality.

      Second, even if there is a tendency for impeachments to have some grounding in a criminal charge, that’s not the case in Illinois law (or so I was told.)

      In the Federal Constitution, it mentions “high crimes and misdemeanors” as the grounds for impeachment. The Illinois Constitution lack that, or any equivalent phrase. In other words, if the Illinois Senate wanted to, they could impeach Blago for wearing a hair piece that offends the eye, or for combing his hair the wrong way.

      No prosecution needed.

      Bob in HI

      • Grouches says:

        I wonder if I am the only person who noticed that the day that the feds “arrested” Blago, was the day after he announced he was going to boycott Bank of America. It seems his political crimes were trying to help a union, getting health care for kids, helping schools and allowing citizens of a free country to buy their made in America drugs in Canada at half the price. Oh, he also embarrassed them. I would bet that we will not hear anymore about the federal charges, their work is done.

    • Hmmm says:

      Lo, B E H O L D the awesome majesty of the Power of a Legislature to Impeach any Executive Officer.

      Like in psychology, the key is that the Legislature has to want to change. That’s all it takes.

  13. freepatriot says:

    and did anybody notice that Democrats are targeting repuglitards who voted against the bail out ???

    ten days into Obama’s administration, and aready, we’re planning on expanding the majority

    can’t wait for the Senate repuglitards get their chance to play ballot box suicide with the bail out package

    lush limpbag is in firm control of the wile e repuglitard party now

    nothing left for them but realization, and then the droooooooooop

  14. bobschacht says:

    my childhood is NOT mummified

    Yeah, tell that to your granddaughter! *g*

    Ali – Frasier III was in 1975.

    My memory is so mummified that I recall Carmen Basilio whose last fight was in 1961, and amazingly enough, he is still alive.

    The fact that we’re still alive is no excuse. *g*

    Bob in HI

  15. freepatriot says:

    Ali – Frasier III was in 1975.

    I could be thinking of an earlier Ali-Frasier fight

    all I know is Joe Frasier let me down

    thank goddess for Leon Spinks

    (wink)

    • Loo Hoo. says:

      Hey, aren’t they holding elections in Iraq right about now? I’ll betcha that Muntadhar al-Zeidi could win just posting shoes on his campaign signs if only he were Iraqi.

      Guys got star power!

  17. freepatriot says:

    hey, irrelevancy might come for the repuglitards sooner than I thought

    looks like Obama might be able to get that 60th seat after all

    anybody object to judd gregg as Secretary of Commerce ???

    (smiles for miles)

  21. nextstopchicago says:

    >There comes a time, and this was one of those times, when all representatives of honest governance should come together

    That’s all well and good, but the vote took place in the Illinois legislature.