From the AP yesterday:
Jury Convicts Ex-Gov. Blagojevich at Retrial Rod Blagojevich, who rode his talkative everyman image to two terms as Illinois governor was convicted of a range of corruption charges, including the incendiary allegation that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat
Let's not forget where Obama stood with Blago and other corrupt figures in the Chicago political machine. From
Obama & Blago:
There was one Democrat in 2006 who dared take on Rod Blagojevich’s re-election bid. His name wasn’t Barack Obama, of course, he endorsed Rod, corruption and all.
And a much more detailed tally from the Chicago Tribune back in 2007:
Critics: Obama endorsements counter calls for clean government...Sen. Barack Obama endorsed Mayor Richard Daley over two black opponents for a sixth term, lending his star power to an inevitable rout.
But Obama's record of local endorsements -- one measure of how he has used his nascent political clout -- has drawn criticism from those who say it reflects his deference to Chicago's established political order and runs counter to his public calls for clean government.
Shocker, no? Too bad the media was too busy painting Sarah Palin as a dumb bimbo to take much notice.
In the 2006 Democratic primary, for example, Obama endorsed first-time candidate Alexi Giannoulias for state treasurer despite reports about loans Giannoulias' family-owned Broadway Bank made to crime figures. Records show Giannoulias and his family had given more than $10,000 to Obama's campaign, which banked at Broadway.
Obama endorsed former Ald. Dorothy Tillman (3rd), calling her "a very early supporter of my campaign." Tillman was then under fire for her stewardship of the scandal-plagued Harold Washington Cultural Center, where contracts benefited members of her family.
Obama rejected the notion that such endorsements conflict with his promotion of ethics reform in government.
"I have been very proud of my track record as a state legislator and as a U.S. senator in terms of maintaining highly ethical behavior throughout my public life," he said in a recent interview. "Dorothy Tillman and Alexi Giannoulias were strong supporters of mine. There were no allegations that they had done anything illegal. And it was not a conflict for me to show my support for them."
Obama supported the re-election of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose administration is embroiled in corruption probes.
And it goes on an on.