Take our advice, Illinois, oust Blagojevich quickly

Take our advice, Illinois, oust Blagojevich quickly

As an area that has seen its share of corrupt public officials hang on long after their guilt was obvious — in the case of a congressman, even after conviction — Mahoning Valley residents know how the people of Illinois are feeling today. And we know that giving advice to disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is probably futile, but will give it anyway: Governor, resign.

The Justice Department’s tapes speak for themselves. You are a foulmouthed two-bit crook of a politician who operated under the theory that the people of your state elected you to serve your own interests, not theirs.

Certainly, any governor who has the opportunity to appoint a member of the U.S. Senate is going to recognize that he is in a position of power and that there are political implications involved in how he wields that power. But to put the Senate seat on the auction block goes beyond playing politics into the realm of playing with fire. Blagojevich is heard on surveillance tapes talking about his ability to name a successor to President-elect Barack Obama to the U.S. Senate, saying, “I’ve got this thing and it’s (expletive) golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing.” He was apparently willing to take cash or job opportunities for himself or his wife in exchange for making an appointment. His words exposed such a blatant level of corruption that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald did something federal prosecutors rarely do: He jumped in and sought an immediate indictment.

Sad memories

This newspaper recalls more cases of corruption than it cares to count involving provably crooked officials in which the Justice Department took the position that it would seek an indictment on its own time schedule. No amount of public or private pleading would sway them.

There were cases years ago in which affidavits had been made public showing that some judges were corrupt, yet federal prosecutors refused to accelerate the indictment of those judges. Even though justice was eventually done, it was a frustratingly slow process to watch.

Happily, prosecutors in Chicago recognized that Blagojevich had to be stopped, and so they went to court and Blagojevich’s actions were exposed.

While the criminal case against Blagojevich will drag on for months or years, it is up to state officials to act quickly to remove the governor from office.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan, also a Democrat, but a longtime foe of Blagojevich, has asked the Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich unfit to serve, likening his corruption scandal to a debilitating illness. The Illinois Legislature will reconvene, at least to consider an interim measure that would strip Blagojevich of his power to appoint Obama’s successor, and possibly to pursue impeachment.

Illinois, like Ohio, is a state with some degree of familiarity with bipartisan corruption. Blagojevich’s immediate predecessor, George Ryan, a Republican, is serving a 61/2-year prison term for racketeering and fraud.

The Legislature should not leave Springfield without driving a stake through Blagojevich’s political heart. If Blagojevich doesn’t step down and if the Supreme Court rejects the attorney general’s motion to have him removed, the Legislature has no choice but to impeach.