Governor Radioactive

UPDATEs below--"Senator" Burris defiant.***Blago comedy gold continues, with some sober notes. What will our impish governor do next? Will Blago go to Washington with Burris? Will Patti rat out her hubby? Will Illinois Dems take Blago out or vote present on corruption in this state? In a Tribune Op-Ed, former federal prosecutor James Ferguson calls for a streamlined impeachment trial, with Blago called as the only witness:

This flexible framework comports with the purpose of an impeachment trial, which differs sharply from criminal prosecution. An impeachment trial does not seek to deprive an official of his liberty, but only to determine if he should continue to enjoy the privilege of holding office. Like all other public officials, Blagojevich does not have a presumptive "right" to remain in power. Rather, he is a public trustee—a fiduciary—who has been entrusted with power on the condition that he wield that power for the public good. As such, the governor is held to the highest standards of integrity with special obligations of public accountability.

Granted, this is an alien concept to Illinois machine pols, despite The One's post-partisan, holier than thou blatherings. The legislature should also immediately pass legislation to authorize a special election-- the only way to restore legitimacy to the Senate pick. Since Rahm Emanuel resigned his Chicago congressional seat, a significant part of the city will be able to vote in a special election, making the added cost statewide minimal if it's set up to coincide with existing municipal elections.

The Trib's John Kass gets some reader mail on Blago providing him more scope, and gives us another connection of the governor's wife Patti, whose real estate deals are under investigation (from a previous post "And then there's Tony Rezko and the haunted Obama house. Not to mention potty-mouth Patti. So many players to keep track of."):

One guy who would know how she's doing is the mysterious Amrish Mahajan, a big-time political fundraiser and boss of the Mutual Bank of Harvey. It was Amrish's bank that financed the questionable purchase by Tony Rezko's wife of the Obama side lot, in the kinky deal allowing the Obamas to get their dream house. Patti also received oodles of real estate commissions on deals with Amrish's bank. Amrish's wife is also under investigation, charged with running a drug-testing company that allegedly bilked state government out of millions of dollars by administering phony drug tests to state employees.

I met Amrish years ago. We were introduced by Roland Burris.

Blago's Senate nominee, former Illinois AG Roland Burris's role in the Rolando Cruz miscarriage of justice scandal comes up. The Politico. The Tribune's Eric Zorn earlier, with a reprint of his 1998 column. Burris was running for governor you see and needed the issue, not backing down on the prosecution of an innocent man despite the confession of another, and later DNA evidence ruling him out.

And speculation on whether Roland Burris will be allowed on the Senate floor by fellow Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. FoxNews. CNN's Political Ticker picks up another possible scenario--Democrats have a "plan", but can they plan for everything (it hasn't worked out so well so far has it):

Senate Democratic leaders, who consider Governor Rod Blagojevich a loose cannon, also have discussed what might happen if Blagojevich shows up on Capitol Hill Tuesday, said the aide familiar with their plans. But the leaders see that move by Blagojevich as unlikely at this time.

This would be a "radioactive" situation, according to the aide, because Senate Democratic leaders could not deny Blagojevich entry, as sitting governors have floor privileges in the Senate. Governors are allowed to walk around the Senate chamber or talk with senators while on the floor, though they cannot vote or formally address the Senate.

Governor Radioactive. Now wouldn't that be a fun C-Span episode, watching Senators scurry out of his path.

UPDATE: Don Surber notes the Burris stance on the Cruz prosecution, with this quote:

Politico cited the Burris campaign for governor as the reason for Burris continuing the case.

“Anybody who understood this case wouldn’t have voted for Burris,” Rob Warden, executive director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, said.

Some in Illinois didn't vote for him. Burris lost the Dem primary that year but ran again four years later, losing again:

In 1998 and 2002, he again unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for Governor of Illinois, running in 2002 against, among others, Rod Blagojevich. During his 2002 run for governor he was supported by, among others, current President-elect Barack Obama.^[7] In 1998, Burris caused a controversy by referring to his Democratic primary opponents — Jim Burns, Glenn Poshard (who eventually won the nomination) and John Schmidt — as "nonqualified white boys."^[8].

(This from someone whose major accomplishment as an Illinois pol is that he hasn't been indicted.) Yes, he lost to Illinois current disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich. But one prominent Democrat who supported Roland Burris at the time?...Barack Obama. And they both supported Blagojevich's reelection as Governor in 2006, at a time when he was under at least nine federal corruption investigations. Political Punch:

In an interview with the Chicago Daily Herald in July 2006, then-Sen. Obama said, "I have not followed closely enough what's been taking place in these investigations to comment on them. Obviously I'm concerned about reports that hiring practices at the state weren't, at times, following appropriate procedures. How high up that went, the degree at which the governor was involved, is not something I'm going to speculate on.

"If I received information that made me believe that any Democrat had not been acting in the public interest, I'd be concerned," Obama said.

That said, Mr. Obama said, "If the governor asks me to work on his behalf, I'll be happy to do it."

Apparently the governor did.

Barack Obama, Democrat machine happy camper.

More: WSJ--Burris predicts he'll be seated, and is quite silver-tongued, Illinois-style:

Mr. Burris, 71 years old, brushed off the opposition in a 25-minute interview during which aides called him "senator" and he argued that he would represent his state well. "From South Beloit to Cairo, from Galena to Zion, East St. Louis to Lawrenceville, I know this state. I know its people," he said.

He also questioned -- as have several legal scholars -- the Senate's right to keep him from taking the seat, asking, "By what authority can [Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid] deny a governor carrying out his constitutional duty?"

"I am the senator, and it sounds good," said Mr. Burris, now a lobbyist and lawyer. "I'm giving up a lot of money to go to the Senate, OK? I'm taking a pay cut," he said, referring to a U.S. senator's salary of about $169,000 a year.

Jennifer Rubin reaction, "The Blago Vortex":

E.J. Dionne has it right:

The problem for Democrats is that by leaving the Senate appointment in Blagojevich’s hands, the Illinois legislature gave the governor an explosive device that he was prepared to use without regard to collateral damage. Even if Democrats in the Senate want to keep Burris out, a past Supreme Court decision suggests that Burris would have a fighting chance of holding his seat. And even if Blagojevich is impeached or convicted, the appointment still stands.

We may go from no Illinois junior senator to two contenders for the spot. Really, it’s fascinating how one crooked state pol can ensnare both the new presidential administration and Congress. The Obama team is lawyering up, the Senate will be sued, and the grand jury in Illinois will spend months reeling in more witnesses who, in turn, may implicate still more politicians. It’s hard to recall a single figure who has caused as much consternation and litigation.