Scandal In Illinois

Corruption, prostitution, questionable behavior. Our correspondent in the United States often feels like he’s living in Scandalistan. The affair of Obama’s replacement is especially compelling.

First a Republican Senator from Florida admitted he had sent indecent emails to young male Senate pages. Then a Republican Senator from Idaho was accused of attempting improper contact with another man in the men’s room of the Minneapolis airport.

Another southern politician was convicted of membership in a pornography ring and the Democratic Governor of New York had to resign because he was caught with a pay-for-play female in an upscale New York City hotel. Especially embarrassing was the fact the Governor Eliot Spitzer had made his reputation as a relentless foe of prostitution when he was New York’s Attorney General.

The latest scandal, however, is outrageous. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of corruption. FBI agents drove to his residence in the early morning hours and woke him by telephone, explaining they didn’t want to disturb his family by ringing the doorbell. Blagojevich was asked to pack his things and come outside immediately.

The charge: Blagojevich is accused of attempting to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. Obama, who will be sworn in as President on January 20th, had recently vacated his Senate seat. The law requires the state’s Governor appoint a successor. Blagojevich, always the wheeler-dealer, sought to profit from his duty by offering the seat to the highest bidder.

The police had long suspected him of trying to feather his nest while in office and bugged his telephone lines and office. The eavesdropping project uncovered a horror story. Blagojevich apparently discussed various options with his Chief of Staff and six potential Obama successors.

Option 1: If he appointed someone favored by the future President, Blagojevich wanted to be rewarded with a Cabinet position. Secretary of Energy, for example.

Option 2: If a Cabinet position wasn’t in the cards, Blagojevich wanted a high-paying position for his wife Patti.

Options 3, 4, and 5: Blagojevich indicated he could also be rewarded with a high-paying union position, appointment as head of a large non-profit organization, or possibly a substantial donation to his re-election campaign.

Option 6: He could appoint himself to fill Obama’s seat, thereby putting one over on the judiciary.

Investigators say Barack Obama had no knowledge of these plans and was never involved in any of them. For now, the affair has cast no shadows in his direction. In the final months of the presidential campaign, Obama tried to avoid being seen in Blagojevich’s company, but it wasn’t always that way. At the beginning of his career, Blagojevich was considered a progressive cast in the same mold as Obama.

The whole affair doesn’t look good for the new standard-bearer who promised to make government actions more transparent, better controlled, and more honest and ethical. The bottom line is it’s about his Senate seat; the scandal is playing out in his home state of Illinois and besides that, it now looks as though Tony Rezko may have played a part in it.

This shady funds raiser and friend of Blagojevich also raised funds for Obama’s campaign and attended parties for him. He also sold Obama a narrow strip of land adjoining his house in Chicago at a special low price. During the campaign, Obama publicly admitted the deed and apologized for what he called an act of stupidity. Rezko was eventually convicted on unrelated charges and will be sentenced on January 6th.

There’s an old American saying that says all politicians have skeletons in their closets and Chicago politicians have more than most. Obama and his inner circle from Chicago claim to be different and to have proven themselves so.

The lively city on Lake Michigan and the entire state of Illinois have always been infamous for corrupt government and legislatures open to bribery. There is a long line of mayors, representatives, senators and governors who have been forced to resign their posts and many of them ended up behind bars. That fate now also threatens Rod Blagojevich. He might wind up sharing a cell with his Republican predecessor, George Ryan. He left office in disgrace in 2003 and was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for corruption.

Up till now, Obama has had little comment on the scandal. He didn’t demand Blagojevich’s resignation until others had done so first. Two of his close associates have made conflicting claims as to whether Obama ever discussed his successor with Blagojevich.

Today, Obama will have a press conference to announce his healthcare reform plans and will address the scandal as well – but only if he’s asked about it, says his staff. They will ask. And when they do, Obama has to do some straight talking and bring everything he knows out into the open. Otherwise the shadow of the affair will fall on him as well, just six weeks before millions look forward to celebrating his inauguration as 44th President of the United States.