At Least He Didn't Say Lynch

Now that things are slowing down in Washington and the government is actually starting to get things done, the spotlight can come back to Illinois. Rod Blagojevish is certainly doing what he can to grab it back. He's on a bit of a what's been called a "media blitz," trying to . . . well, I'm not entirely sure what he's trying to do. He's telling everybody why he's not going to defend himself during his impeachment--that would be an "impeachable offense," he said to the AP. He also fell back on the old SAT analogy gimmick and claimed, "Dec. 9 to my family, to us, to me, is what Pearl Harbor Day was to the United States." That seemed like a stretch to me, until I remembered Patrick Fitzgerald coming in low in that Japanese Zero.

At a later press conference, he argued that the legislature was acting like a posse trying to decide whether to hang him before or after a trial. That trial starts in the Senate on Monday, but as we mentioned above, Blago's not going to be there. Instead, he's going on the road. He'll be appearing on Good Morning, America and The View. What's he going to get out of that? I have no idea. Does he have some sort of plan for how this works in his favor? Beats me--nothing obvious comes to mind. But if this is a successful strategy then . . . I guess I'll be very surprised.

Another development for Blago today seems just as mysterious and inexplicable. His lead lawyer, Edward Genson, is pulling out. Not surprisingly, Genson isn't forthcoming about his reasons, but he does provide the cryptic statement: "I never require a client to do what I say. But I do require them to at least listen." So where is Blago diverting from the plan? Do his lawyers want him to fight impeachment? Are there legal issues concerning the expected upcoming criminal trial? Stay tuned.