Blagojevich and the childrens hospital

Yes, the newsy part of the story is Blago's calling Obama a motherfucker, and his wife -- like some grotesque greek chorus -- overheard telling her husband to "fuck the Tribune, and certainly the governor's sheer stupidity to say, out loud, that a Senate seat's a fucking valuable thing.

But that's just a craven pol and his equally craven wife.

The sumbitch was apparently pulling far nastier shit then listing a Senate seat on eBay, and if the allegations are true, deserves the epic fail he's now going through, in excrutiating slo-mo. From the indictment:

On October 8, Blagojevich told a person described only as "Individual A" that he was willing to make $8 million available for Children's Memorial Hospital, but "I want to get [Hospital Executive 1] for 50."

Individual A felt that Blagojevich was talking about a $50,000 campaign contribution from the hospital's chief executive officer and that the $8 million referred to a recent commitment by Blagojevich to secure state funds via "some type of pediatric care reimbursement." "Intercepted phone conversations between Rod Blagojevich and others indicate that Rod Blagojevich is contemplating rescinding his commitment of state funds to benefit Children's Memorial Hospital because Hospital Executive 1 has not made a recent campaign contribution," the affidavit says.

Those who are saying today that Obama should have demanded his resignation, um, I guess 12 hours earlier than he did, don't seem aware that normal people could not believe Blagojevitch showed up for work today and assumed he'd resign to spend more time with the family and, ya know, work on his defense.

Nevertheless, the Mighty Wurlitzer is cranking up.

UPDATED: Fixed the quote.

The blago-sphere

I'd plead insanity.

Openly corrupt

Fed. prosecutor Fitzpatrick's Fitzgerald's (yes, him again), indictment against Blagojevitch makes for some pretty colorful reading. If true, and he seems to have the wiretap results to prove it, Blago seems to have been remarkably corrupt, even by Illinois standards. And he sure put the "civil" back in Civil Service.

Brazen?

I mean, no one is paying attention to the filling of a junior senator's seat, right?

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois was arrested on Tuesday morning and charged with corruption, including an allegation that he conspired to profit from his authority to appoint President-elect Barack Obama’s successor in the United States Senate, prosecutors said.

As Mr. Blagojevich mulled the Senate appointment, prosecutors say, he discussed gaining “a substantial salary” at a nonprofit foundation or organization connected to labor unions, placing his wife on corporate boards where she might earn as much as $150,000 a year and trying to gain promises of campaign money, or even a cabinet post or ambassadorship, for himself.

A 76-page affidavit from the United States Attorney’s office in Northern Illinois says Mr. Blagojevich was heard on wiretaps over the last month planning to “sell or trade Illinois’ United States Senate seat vacated by Pres-elect Barack Obama for financial and personal benefits for himself and his wife.”

Federal authorities said Mr. Blagojevich’s chief of staff, John Harris, was also indicted on Tuesday. Both men are expected to appear in federal court for the first time later Tuesday.

Amazing. He also tried to blackmail the Tribune.

The Hulk fights back

Ted Stevens doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit!"

He told reporters he decided to run again to battle Alaska's high unemployment and energy costs. He said he thinks the state's development has been stymied by "extreme environmentalists."