Don’t let the door hit your hair on the way out:
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Gov. Rod Blagojevich was unanimously convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office Thursday, ending a nearly two-month crisis that erupted with his arrest on charges he tried to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.
After a four-day trial, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict him of abuse of power, automatically removing the second-term Democrat. Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, one of his critics, immediately became governor.
In a second 59-0 vote, the Senate further barred Blagojevich from ever holding public office in Illinois again.
Gov. Blagojevich boycotted the first three days of his impeachment trial, complaining that it was nothing more than a “kangaroo court.” But when he finally figured out that the Illinois Senate was serious about impeaching him, he strolled up to the microphone this morning and delivered an incredible 47 minute long “how could you do this to me, after all I’ve done for you” speech, but alas, to no avail. The AP notes, “Not a single legislator rose in Blagojevich’s defense.” Not surprisingly, he didn’t stick around for the Senate vote.
He will eventually face a Federal corruption indictment with a trial possible this summer. As of now, he joins James Traficant in the Convicted Democrats with Bad Hair Hall of Fame.
I hear it’s f**king golden.
________________________________________
Final thought — Blago was a maverick right to the end, even refusing to wear the customary black-powersuit-with-red-striped-tie favored by other disgraced Democrat governors.
