QUOTE -- Hours after federal investigators announced they had arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff on corruption charges, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald declared Tuesday a "sad day for government."

"Gov. Blagojevich has taken us to a new low," he said. "This conduct would make [Abraham] Lincoln roll over in his grave."[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/09/illinois.governor/index.html[/url]

Here's the $64,000 question -- are the same wingnuts that blasted Fitzgerald as a partisan hack when he was prosecuting Scooter Libby going to show the same contempt for him now that he's prosecuting a Democrat?

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[quote=toasty;685682][URL]http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/09/illinois.governor/index.html[/URL]

Here's the $64,000 question -- are the same wingnuts that blasted Fitzgerald as a partisan hack when he was prosecuting Scooter Libby going to show the same contempt for him now that he's prosecuting a Democrat?[/quote]

if you're equating what libby did with what we're seeing in G-Rod's indictment, then, yes.

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[quote=toasty;685682][URL]http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/09/illinois.governor/index.html[/URL]

Here's the $64,000 question -- are the same wingnuts that blasted Fitzgerald as a partisan hack when he was prosecuting Scooter Libby going to show the same contempt for him now that he's prosecuting a Democrat?[/quote]

wow toasty... i didnt expect you to come back with a post like this... new low

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[QUOTE=88Mariner;685697]if you're equating what libby did with what we're seeing in G-Rod's indictment, then, yes.[/QUOTE]

am not comparing the acts, wondering whether the personal attacks on Fitzgerald will continue now that he's busting someone the right dislikes. My guess is that they'll pretend like none of that ever happened before.

[QUOTE=shosh;685709]wow toasty... i didnt expect you to come back with a post like this... new low[/QUOTE]

:lol::lol::lol:

Dude, WTF are you talking about? Around the time of the Libby perjury/OOJ convictions, there were a [B]lot[/B] of hyperpartisan-types being very critical of Fitzgerald and his stated "ideological slant" or "personal agenda," which seemed ridiculous to me and unsupported by really anything at all because Fitz doesn't have an overly partisan background. I'm just wondering what the reaction of those folks will be now that he's busting Blago. Is Patrick Fitzgerald still the boogeyman? You can't see it, of course, but I'm actually laughing out loud a little as I type this, it's so ridiculous...

I don't know what you think I'm driving at here, but I'm not understanding your reaction here at all... :|

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

ok, so they won't.

and?

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[QUOTE=88Mariner;685754]ok, so they won't.

and?[/QUOTE]

and I'm looking forward to seeing the Daily Show/Colbert's take on this, because they seem to be the only ones willing to call people out on that sort of hypocrisy...

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

yawn. no offense, but really? compared to what we're seeing w/ G-Rod? I guess it would be interesting to see what the Daily Show does considering their material is pretty much negligible save for this. Honestly, what's at stake here, and the crimes committed, are a universe apart, not only in substance, but in mindset, too.

i'm looking forward to see who Candidate #5 is.

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[QUOTE=88Mariner;685760]yawn. no offense, but really? compared to what we're seeing w/ G-Rod? I guess it would be interesting to see what the Daily Show does considering their material is pretty much negligible save for this. Honestly, what's at stake here, and the crimes committed, are a universe apart, not only in substance, but in mindset, too.

i'm looking forward to see who Candidate #5 is.[/QUOTE]

You're completely missing my point in terms of comparing the two acts, because I don't disagree with you they are incomparable. Mostly wondering if former pariah Fitzgerald will become a GOP hero for taking this clown down. Can't say that I'm too worked up about it, though, so I'm moving on.

BTW, innocent before proven guilty and all that BS, but this dude need to resign pronto. What a jackass.

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[quote=toasty;685764]You're completely missing my point in terms of comparing the two acts, because I don't disagree with you they are incomparable. Mostly wondering if former pariah Fitzgerald will become a GOP hero for taking this clown down. Can't say that I'm too worked up about it, though, so I'm moving on.

BTW, innocent before proven guilty and all that BS, but this dude need to resign pronto. What a jackass.[/quote]

I don't think the GOP would give a shiat about Fitzgerald: their focus will be on G-Rod. They're probably indifferent.

Innocent till proven guilty? Sure, but damn, all that stuff is on tape. This is one of those rare times when the facts are so pungently strong that I'm wondering how G-rod will prove himself innocent.

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this is messed up (from AP:)

[QUOTE]President-elect [URL="http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=Barack%20Obama&sid=breitbart.com"]Barack Obama[/URL] says he is saddened by allegations that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to trade favors for Obama's Senate seat—and says he had no contact with the governor or his office on the matter. [/QUOTE]

but uh...didn't the indictment implicate Obama having talked to G-Rod and gave him his suggestion (#5) but wouldn't give anything else?

Interesting to see if this will be picked apart...

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[QUOTE=88Mariner;685769]I don't think the GOP would give a shiat about Fitzgerald: their focus will be on G-Rod. They're probably indifferent. [/QUOTE]

I doubt very seriously that most of them will even be cognizant of the fact that it is the same guy. They probably went from having no idea who Fitz was, to publicly flogging the guy for phantom partisan hackery, to completely forgetting about him again.

[QUOTE=88Mariner;685769] Innocent till proven guilty? Sure, but damn, all that stuff is on tape. This is one of those rare times when the facts are so pungently strong that I'm wondering how G-rod will prove himself innocent.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I was being facetious. The dude has no prayer. Completely hosed.

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[QUOTE=88Mariner;685770]this is messed up (from AP:)

but uh...didn't the indictment implicate Obama having talked to G-Rod and gave him his suggestion (#5) but wouldn't give anything else?

Interesting to see if this will be picked apart...[/QUOTE]

Well, though, there's also this (from the other Blago thread), which would seem to cut against that:

[QUOTE=toasty;685742] They actually just read excerpts from Blago's taped phone calls on CNN a bit ago where he is complaining that Obama won't return his calls and that "all I'm gonna get from him is appreciation", not cash, following that up with "Fuck him." [/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.mercuryserver.com/forums/showpost.php?p=685742&postcount=14[/url]

They might have spoken at some point about who to appoint, but that's different from having contact with him about trading favors, etc., which is how I read the statement.

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didn't see that. my bad. for obama's sake, i hope there's nothing more!

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Actually, there is some indication that it might have been Obama's COS Rahm Emmanuel that tipped off the Feds:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPlWht42enQ[/YOUTUBE]

[QUOTE]We did receive a tip this morning that perhaps all of this came together so quickly because the Governor may have reached out to Rahm Emanuel, the president-elect’s chief of staff, in attempting to leverage filling the Senate seat. And it may have been Rahm Emanuel who tipped the scale and made this move as quickly as it did.[/QUOTE]

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[IMG]http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2008-05/39435259.jpg[/IMG]

i don't have to write a caption. it writes itself.

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[QUOTE=88Mariner;685760] i'm looking forward to see who Candidate #5 is.[/QUOTE]

Looks like it's Jesse Jackson Jr.

[url]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/09/senate-candidate-5-in-bla_n_149682.html[/url]

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

can someone give me the short version of what is going on with this situation? I have been busy the last few days and don't know much about it. I also don't want to read 20 articles to catch up.

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

You don't have to read 20 articles, but reading one might be a good start. This is all over whatever format you prefer for your news.

Edit: maybe start here:

[url]http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-blagojevich-1210,0,7494354.story[/url]

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

"Allegedly for sale: state jobs, state contracts and regulatory favors. In one surreal development, prosecutors said Blagojevich even tried to get critical editorial writers from the Chicago Tribune fired in exchange for helping parent [URL="http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/media/tribune-co.-ORCRP017346.topic"]Tribune Co.[/URL] with a state plan to finance the purchase of [URL="http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/baseball/wrigley-field-PLTRA0000169.topic"]Wrigley Field[/URL]."

WTF!?!?!?!? WOW this is unbelievable. If Chicago is this bad imagine NY

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[quote=runningman;686149]"Allegedly for sale: state jobs, state contracts and regulatory favors. In one surreal development, prosecutors said Blagojevich even tried to get critical editorial writers from the Chicago Tribune fired in exchange for helping parent [URL="http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/media/tribune-co.-ORCRP017346.topic"]Tribune Co.[/URL] with a state plan to finance the purchase of [URL="http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/baseball/wrigley-field-PLTRA0000169.topic"]Wrigley Field[/URL]."

WTF!?!?!?!? WOW this is unbelievable. If Chicago is this bad imagine NY[/quote]

new york is nothing compared to chicago.

it's like comparing ottowa to saskatoon.

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

I don't understand what that mean. Is Chicago Saskatoon? Saskatoon is essentially nothing where Chicago is a major city. Please elaborate. Are you saying NY isn't as corrupt as Chicago?

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[quote=runningman;686156]I don't understand what that mean. Is Chicago Saskatoon? Saskatoon is essentially nothing where Chicago is a major city. Please elaborate. Are you saying NY isn't as corrupt as Chicago?[/quote]

yes.

chicago is to ottowa, as new york is to saskatoon.

lots of corruption and possibility of corruption, versus little corruptoin and little possibility of corruption.

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why is Chicago more corrupt?? I thought NY would be more corrupt.

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[quote=runningman;686174]why is Chicago more corrupt?? I thought NY would be more corrupt.[/quote]

of course you did. that's the common assumption. bigger does not necessarily mean more corrupt, though. And Chicago has several DECADES of blatant corruption. It's not even funny how bad it is.

And i'm laughing my ass off that the Jacksons were going to try to buy a senate seat. They are so fucked. fuckers.

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I'm pretty sure we just :jacked:

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[quote=88Mariner;685786][IMG]http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2008-05/39435259.jpg[/IMG]

i don't have to write a caption. it writes itself.[/quote]

^ Yeah. I do want to stab them scumbags in the head with shish kabob sticks -- or maybe just play freeze tag with ice picks.

What a disgraceful, and corroding condition that our politics have fallen into though, damn.

Chitown needs some serious help, more than Baltimore and The Rotting Apple, imo.

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By the way, I now know the answer to the original question, which is that those on the far right ARE being critical of Fitzgerald, for bringing charges when he did rather than stretching out the investigation in an attempt to secure perjury and OOJ charges, showing his obvious liberal bias. Credit where credit is due, at least they are consistent. Because, you know, allowing Blago to appoint a US Senator through a bastardized and corrupt practice would have been worth the hope that Fitz might have secured some other charges.

Big difference between this and the Valerie Plame deal, BTW. With the Valerie Plame thing, the damage has been done and there was no exigency to the investigation. If there were inconsistencies, he had the luxury of time to follow up on them, because she had already been outed and whether the charges were brought immediately or a year later, you can't really put the horse back in the barn on her outing, the primary subject of the investigation. With Blago, though, the acts that were being investigated were at least partially prospective in nature, and by bringing the charges when they were brought, the Justice Department was (likely) able to prevent further criminal action from taking place. Big difference from a public policy standpoint.

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Is it me or does it look like Rham is one scary motherfucker? He looks like he could take out the big black dude behind him....

Re: Blagojevich Prosecutor

[quote=Localizer;686984]Is it me or does it look like Rham is one scary motherfucker? He looks like he could take out the big black dude behind him....[/quote]

i can't tell if his smile is evil or sexual. but who the hell is the guy in the center??

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so he made the pick. I thought someone was going to try to stop him. I thought he was going to step down? Ya right you know Obama has something to do with this now that it has for now blown over.