Burris Blabs With Blago's Bro While Blago Burns

From CNN.com: Calls for Burris resignation intensify as new details emerge

The Washington Post added its voice Wednesday to a growing chorus of demands for the resignation of Sen. Roland Burris two days after he detailed conversations with impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother that he failed to mention under oath.

Burris, appointed by a scandal-wracked Blagojevich to fill President Obama's vacant Senate seat, told reporters Monday night in Peoria, Illinois, that he had three conversations with the governor's brother, Robert Blagojevich.

In them, the Democratic senator said he discussed possibly raising money for the governor before ultimately declining to do so.

So, he talked with Blago's bro, then denied it, and now he's admitting to it. And the conversation was about fundraising for Blago. When I said that I didn't trust Burris, that something seemed off, nobody listened. Everyone acted like I was some sort of idiot, like I had a problem. Yeah, we'll start the ass-kissing with you.

Seriously, though, Burris should resign. His placement into the Senate has been under a cloud of suspicion from day one, and that cloud only grows larger and thicker with each passing day. People have resigned over less. It's time to do the honorable thing, Mr. Burris, and step aside.

IL Senate Finishes Vote on Removal of Blagojevich

The vote is in: 59 Yea votes, no Nay votes.

Rod Blagojevich is hereby removed from his office as governor of Illinois. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn will be sworn in shortly.

Blagojevich: Completely Off the Rails

And now, here's one from the "You Really Can't Make This Stuff Up" files.

Think Progress: Blagojevich compares himself to MLK, Mandela, and Ghandi.

Today in an interview with NBC, disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) compared himself to human rights heros Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi.

So let me see if I've got all this straight, Blogjam: You're like Gandhi, Mandela, and King; the charges against you are, to your family, "what Pearl Harbor Day was to the United States"; you're a cowboy in your own mind being "hung without a fair trial" and it's all a plot to raise taxes.

His whole persona, from the moment he got in there, has been as a down-to-earth guy who's against so-called "political insiders". First off, you're not winning anyone over thrwing tantrums to call attention to yourself, nor are you gaining any points by acting like this is all below you.

Second, you're digging yourself that much deeper with comparisons like these - seriously, you think you're the equal of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Oh hell no.

But to top off this whole thing, let me add one very important little insight: Your actions were exactly what the "political insiders" you hate so much would do. You are what you claim to hate, Blogjam; I suggest you simply go quietly and stop making a damn fool of yourself.

I swear, if I ever voted for this man, I regret it deeply. If I had known he was this far out of his friggin' mind, I would've written in Mickey Mouse. At least if Mickey were elected, we'd have another total badass in elected office, and I think that's something we sorely need these days.

Rod Blagojevich: Criminal

What amazes me out of this whole story, is the near immediate attempt by the right to tie Obama to this. Everything from hints that he's somehow involved in it all, to simply implying he's a child of the same 'Chicago Politics', and will end up doing the same thing.

The disconnect from reality by these people is amazing, so let's look at the facts.

In the Blagojevich incident, he was, as it was aptly put "on a crime spree" it wasn't merely trying to sell Obama's senate seat, but everything from trying to surpress the press, to trying and pull funding from a CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, because they wouldn't give him a $50,000 contribution. So to try and tie it to Obama, you'd need to try and tie it to a children's hospital, and the Tribune as well, otherwise you're just being dishonest.

Secondly, is Obama involved? Yes, but not how they want you to think. There are tapes of '7' senate candidates for his seat - only one of which (number 5) seems to have done anything grossly unethical. Number 1, in fact said all she could offer was "gratitude" in exchange for the seat. Who is number 1? It's now believed to be: Valerie Jarrett.

This is how Obama is involved. Valerie Jarrett is in fact who Obama was backing for the position, and Jarrett and Obama offered, as I said "gratitude" in exchange for the seat, nothing more. Blagojevich's response to that? "Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him." On top of that, it seems a call Obama may have gotten the ball ROLLING on him being investigated.

Mr. Obama placed the call to his political mentor, Emil Jones Jr., president of the Illinois Senate. Mr. Jones was a critic of the legislation, which sought to curb the influence of money in politics, as was Mr. Blagojevich, who had vetoed it. But after the call from Mr. Obama, the Senate overrode the veto, prompting the governor to press state contractors for campaign contributions before the law’s restrictions could take effect on Jan. 1, prosecutors say...

Mr. Obama used leverage that he had seldom employed — publicly, anyway — and strongly urged Mr. Jones to bypass Mr. Blagojevich and approve the ethics bill, banning the so-called pay-for-play system of influence peddling in Illinois...Mr. Obama’s intervention deepened a rift between him and Mr. Blagojevich that had been growing for some time.

Leading to:

...the government obtained court approval to intercept oral communications in certain locations in the offices of Friends of Blagojevich. In addition, as part of its investigation, the government obtained court approval to intercept wire communications on the home phone of ROD BLAGOJEVICH.

Ta-da.