No to Gov. Ryan

I am in agreement with this--no clemency for Gov. Ryan: (I may have thought his sentence was a bit stiff--he didn't enrich himself personally--lived in a very modest house in Kankakee. But what sets Republicans apart is we usually cast out our wrongdoers--unlike the Dems. It is especially unseemly for Gov. Blagojevich to suggest the sentence be commuted, given his probable indictment.)

Statement from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna on recent statements from Illinois Democrats supporting the commutation of the George Ryan sentence:

“This issue is not one of party, but of bringing real change to Illinois by the way we conduct business.

“My heart goes out to Mrs. Ryan and her family during this difficult time, however, Governor Ryan was convicted in federal court by a jury of his peers and all of his appeals, including one to the U.S. Supreme Court, were denied.

“A commutation of Governor Ryan’s sentence sends the wrong message to not only those who betray the public trust but also to the honest, hardworking men and women of Illinois who expect public corruption will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

“Senator Durbin and Governor Blagojevich’s line of thinking only contributes to the difficult task of bringing change to Illinois."

By the way Barack--we want to hear you will keep Patrick Fitzgerald on the job in Illinois to finish cleaning this place up--it's the least you can do--we want some of that real change you promised.