Democrats Put the Bounce in Blagojevich Kangaroo Court

The impeachment of soon-to-be ex-Illinois Governor Blagojevich reminds me of a story about jury selection for a murder trial. An old rancher was called up and as he approached the bench looked around and asked: “Which one of you is the guilty bastard we’re supposed to hang?”

Except the Blagojevich impeachment skipped the parts about impartial jury selection, presumption of innocence, confronting of witnesses, and calling witnesses for the defense.

In truth, I sympathize with the Democrats rush to judgment. If left to his own devices, I wouldn’t be surprised if Blagojevich wouldn’t take out many prominent Illinois politicians, from a list headlined by Rahm Emanuel and Jesse Jackson, Jr.

According to legendary former California Speaker of the Assembly Willie Brown, Governor Blagojevich phoned him when he read an item in Willie’s World, Willie Brown’s column in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle. In the article Willie opined that all Prosecutor Fitzgerald had on Blagojevich was loose talk, no done deals. Blagojevich told Brown that he had had many “heated conversations” with Rahm Emanuel about the Senate appointment.

This isn’t one of them. This link takes you to a fictional discussion between Blagojevich and Emanuel which was posted on the Daily Kos. Although fiction, it’s as close to fact as you’ll find on Daily Kos, and I’ll bet Fitzgerald has several similar taped conversations which will make much more interesting reading when Blagojevich is called before a real judicial procedure instead of the Illinois kangaroo court.

When Blagojevich is finally brought to trial, which it seems Fitzgerald must do even though all Democrats will object, it will be interesting to learn how well Obama, Emanuel, and Jesse Jackson, Jr. tip-toed through the Chicago cesspool without getting splattered by Blagojevich.

I think that a lot of what Blagojevich tossed around has stuck, and it will be interesting to find out what it was and who were the stuckees.

And to watch the Democrats do all they can to keep embarrassing disclosures from public scrutiny.

Coleman Will Serve

I was worried Al Franken would be a Senator until I read that Harry Reid said Norm Coleman was finished. Reid said Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to the Senate would never happen, and it is happening. Reid is great at predicting one thing, and then the opposite becomes reality.

My prediction is that Senator Reid is serving his last term in the Senate.

And that Governor Blagojevich will still be governor of Illinois when Reid says farewell.

DeWayne Wickham, Opposition to Burris might blow up on Democrats, USA Today, January 6, 2008, paints a clear picture of how foolish Reid was in trying to be judge, jury, and executioner before our justice system was given a chance to fulfill its obligations.

Senator Reid, it seems strange that a person in your position must be instructed about the presumption of innocence and that you can't assess guilt by association. You of all persons should know that you can't take a short-cut to justice.

That's called vigilantism.

It's the sort of thing lynch mobs do.

Willie Brown was Right about Blagojevich

As I have noted and updated, Willie Brown, legendary California Democrat, said that Fitzpatrick's case against Governor Blagojevich was weak because the Chicago Tribune forced the indictment before there was anything of substance to prosecute.

Now another notable California Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein, has upped the ante by stating that Blagojevich's choice, Burris, should be seated. Since Senator Feinstein chairs the Senate Rules Committee, which Democrats thought would stall Blagojevich until he could be impeached and removed, I think I hear the sound of a done deal here.

Remember Bill Clinton making appointments as he was being impeached?

Senator Roland Burris, take your seat!

Isn't it obvious that with no deal done, Blagojevich skates free?

To embarrass Democrats another day!

Blagojevich Going Strong, says Willie Brown

As I previously noted, the former Speaker of the California Assembly and Mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown, chatted with Governor Blagojevich and found that he had "many heated conversations" with Rahm Emanuel about nominating a replacement for Obama in the Senate.

In Willie's latest column, he notes a "Joe Montana" play: "Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama - the same seat Blagojevich stands accused of attempting to sell - is the political play of the season."

Now we know that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid earlier tried to get Blagojevich to not appoint three other black males, preferring that he appoint a white female because he thought any of the blacks would not be re-electable. And it's all on tape, waiting to come out and add to the Democrat's embarrassment both before and after Obama's inauguration.

Speaking of embarrassing, now "New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday announced that he was withdrawing his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary amid a grand jury investigation into how some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract."

The Obama Administration-elect is already the most scandal-prone administration-elect of all time.

And it will only get better.

Obama, Blagojevich, Emanuel Cover Up - Willie Brown Blows the Whistle

Willie Brown, former legendary Speaker of the California Assembly and far less legendary former Mayor of San Francisco, got a telephone call from Governor Blagojevich. They chatted about Willie's assertion in his San Francisco article last week that Patrick Fitzgerald's case against the governor was very weak because it was just loose talk, and no deal was made.

According to Willie, this is the gist of their chat (click on this for the link to Willie's World):

I can't go into details, but my impression is that the whole mess started because the governor had been considering appointing a political rival, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, to the Senate so she wouldn't be able to run against him when he went up for re-election in 2010.

Apparently, Obama's people weren't happy about the idea of Madigan coming to Washington, and there were some pretty heated conversations between Blagojevich and Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, which I understand will burn your ears off.

Let us reconstruct what this may mean. Blogojevich told Willie Brown that he had conversations (that means more than one) with Rahm Emanuel. Apparently the conversations were very heated, meaning a lot of disagreement should be on Fitzpatrick' tapes.

Meanwhile, We have George Stephanopoulos in George's Bottom Line reporting (in an exclusive!):

Sources tell me that the Obama team's review of contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will show that Rahm Emanuel had only one phone conversation with Blagojevich.

When will we get to the bottom of this?

Is Willie right? Are George's sources telling him the truth, or Clintonesquely parsing it? Will Fitzgerald's tapes declare the winner, or will we be left wondering for all time?


I'm betting that Willie's version is closer to the truth, that there were many contacts, because Blagojevich called him and volunteered the information, one cynical politician to another. I think George was being spun by Obama/Emanuel operatives with the goal of arguing about which contacts between Blagojevich and Emanuel count as Senate nomination contacts.

Regardless of George's bottom line, I think the bottom line on this will end the same as always: "it's not the crime, it's the cover up."


When will they ever learn?

Stephanopoulos - Now working for Obama

George Stephanopoulos, pretend journalist and Democrat water carrier, continues to get fed "exclusives" from Obama and Biden. Previously he got the first interview of vice president-elect Joe Biden, and even while asking soft-ball questions, induced Biden to make one of his classic dumb remarks, that the economy was ready to "absolutely tank."

Now George is helping to give cover to Obama by trying to minimize the significance of Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, playing Senatorial nomination footsie with Blagojevich. His "exclusive,"Obama's Blago Report: Only One Rahm Call to Governor," is an attempt to minimize Emanuel's involvement in the Blagojevich fiasco by reporting Emanuel only made one call to Blagojevich about the nomination. All the other calls he made must have been to Blogojevich's asssistant(s), or were to Blogojevich but not "about the Senate appointment."

You see, it all depends on what the definition of "call" is.

Bill Clinton would applaud.