Rod Blagojevich is clearly a blowhard and a braggart, but it remains to be seen whether he actually had the power he seems to have exerted. Given the recent news about his slimy associates Antoin Tony Rezko and Chris Kelly, I'm guessing that we haven't heard all the real evidence yet--and it will likely be damning.

Illinois has turned out some pretty good politicians too. Adlai Stevenson and Paul Simon were excellent. I have no doubt that Rahm Emanuel talked to Blagojevich, but I doubt very much if he felt under the governor's thumb enough to want to deal with him in the way he wanted to be dealt with.

But I think what this really has to do with is the new ethics bill in Illinois that goes into effect in January, making it illegal in the state for businesses with state contracts to contribute to political campaigns. The Tribune has a great explanation of this.
Source(s):
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/friday/chi-12...

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