Posted on 01/01/2009 8:27:12 PM PST by STARWISE
Illinois is the laughing stock of America and even the world, but you can’t say it just happened because of the scandal engulfing our governor, Rod Blagojevich.
It’s been that way for a long time. The difference is that today, many in Illinois politics, Republicans and Democrats, are exploiting it for their own selfish agendas.
The people declaring that Illinois is the nation’s laughing stock the most are in fact politicians, elected and government officials from Illinois, all seeking some personal advantage in the Blagojevich scandal.
But the real challenge we face is not what the rest of America thinks of this state, but what we, as citizens of Illinois, think of what is taking place.
Here are some observations that we cannot ignore.
I have been a longtime admirer of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. But I have come to realize that maybe he has made a serious mistake in leadership.
The fact is it is his failure to follow through with the “Rule of Law” in prosecuting Blagojevich that has put us in the midst we are in today.
Fitzgerald failed to do his job. Maybe he even played a little politics in jumping the gun with his charges against Blagojevich.
He has some evidence – secret wire taps of Blagojevich’s private conversations which he has selectively released to make Blagojevich look guilty in the court of public opinion.
But Fitzgerald has not done his job. He should have kept his mouth shut and proven his case using the Rule of Law, completing his investigation by building facts not conjecture and assertions. He should have sought an indictment. He should have lined up all of the witnesses.
Fitzgerald told us he had to rush to judgment because he feared that Blagojevich would “sell” the seat appointment and thereby throw the entire system into turmoil.
Well, Mr. Fitzgerald. The entire system has been thrown into turmoil. And while everyone will blame Blagojevich, I think the blame falls on your shoulders.
I think your actions beg the question: Did you disclose this incomplete prosecution of Blagojevich because you wanted to achieve your own political goals?
Were you afraid that Obama was going to replace you as the US Attorney for this district? Were you thinking that exposing a scandal that also touched on Obama – several of his own aides have been implicated in conversations with Blagojevich about the Senate seat appointment and we haven’t heard all the facts on that.
Just maybe, you recognized this scandal would make it impossible for Obama to replace you.
Unlike you, though, I will reserve judgment on those thoughts until we see all the facts, if all the facts ever come out.
In the meantime, your actions have helped destroy Illinois.
Gov. Blagojevich has the power to appoint a candidate to the Senate seat. Had you not interfered, he may well have “sold” the seat and then you would have been forced to prove that assertion.
Would we be worse off in that scenario than we are today?
Blagojevich is innocent until proven guilty. I heard many media pundits laugh when former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris declared that fundamental fact at his press conference where he accepted his nomination to fill the senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, a nomination made by Blagojevich.
The reality is Burris was a great Illinois Attorney General. In fact, some might argue he has a better track record than Lisa Madigan, one of his successors who desperately wants Blagojevich’s job as governor and who is engaged in trying to remove Blagojevich from office.
Burris is not involved in any way in the fragmented charges you detailed at your press conference several weeks ago. Burris is a qualified candidate.
Is there evidence that he purchased the seat, as you alleged, Mr. US Attorney? If you have that evidence, show it.
If not, then you owe it to the public to stand up and declare Burris properly vetted and a qualified candidate for the senate seat.
Until Blagojevich is convicted, he has the power and the right to make the appointment. The declarations by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he will not seat Burris is an affront to Illinois’ interests.
By what right does Reid have to prevent Burris from being seated?
Secretary of State Jesse White has also declared that he, too, will not certify a qualified and highly credentialed African American to assume that senate seat.
On what right? The right of politics?
This is a real mess, Mr. Fitzgerald. And what it says is you did not do your job properly.
Your decision to go public with your incriminating one-sided evidence can’t hold up in court, and you even acknowledged that when you said you need more witnesses to prove your case.
Otherwise, you would have sought and won the indictment. Otherwise, you would be in court right now arguing the case against Blagojevich.
Blagojevich, instead, is now being prosecuted outside of the Rule of Law in a political kangaroo court filled by his politically motivated critics.
And you are a partner in that effort, allowing biased evidence against Blagojevich to stand while denying Blagojevich’s attorney’s right to defend his client calling as witnesses in that kangaroo court Obama’s aides to testify.
When the Rule of Law is not good enough as the road map to prosecute alleged crimes for a federal attorney general and for a political lynch mob in Springfield, we don’t need people outside of Illinois to tell us this state is an international laughing stock.
I think we all already know that is in fact the truth. But it doesn’t just rest on the actions of our scandal-plagued governor who may or may not be guilty of the allegations against him.
~~DING!
he owes scooter libby an apology.
I agree .. I think he’s got some screws loose .. tunnel-visioned.
~~PING!
Illinois has been a national embarassment since I’ve been aware of Illinois. I think they should apologize to the US.
Fitzgerald is an idiot. The dumbest and least capable of all federal prosecutors. Hopefully his career will end with this case. It certainly should have ended with his ridiculous prosecution of Lewis Libby, which happily was thwarted by Bush’s pardon.
The one who made a mess of things is Hot Rod Blago, and all the rest of the crooked pols. The only greatness Burris achieved is in his own mind, where he spends most of his time congratulating himself. Fitzgerald is not a governmental “leader” he is a prosecutor and he’s doing his job, which includes making judgement calls as in any investigation as to when to make an arrest in order to avoid further damage to occur. This guy needs a reality test.
Recall that the Tribune was about to spill.
It’s apparent now it seems that Fitz should have waited until the appointment was announced by Blago. It seems he jumped early to avoid Obama or Rahm involvement.
If George Bush were 100% doing the best he could do for America, he would fire Patrick Fitzgerald tomorrow. He’d do it and say that any daggone prosecuter who holds press conferences talking about “Lincoln turn over in his grave” is going to be looking for a job the next day. Fitzgerald is a disgrace and he should be fired, now! If Bush does not have the courage to do it, I hope Obama does.
Another reason why I left Illinois.
That’s Mukasey’s job.
What if Fitzgerald is after Barry himself? Maybe he believes he will be fired — it wouldn’t suprise me if Obama fires him, maybe using this type of criticism as support. Maybe it’s more important to get “0” than Blago, and that’s where the focus lies pre-Jan.20. We don’t know the facts.
Fitz may have announced charges early to avoid involving Obama. He says it was because the Tribune was going to release the story. Then the Tribune’s involvement in protecting Obama needs investigation....
Every U.S. Attorney serves at the pleasure of the President, and President Bush has full authority to fire any of them at will, which he should do when they pull this nonsense like Fitzgerald has pulled.
President Bush can rightly declare that it has nothing to do with politics. He did not fire Fitzgerald after the Scooter Libby prosecution.
But for this sorry excuse of a prosecutor to play games like he is doing, which is an obvious ploy to keep his job in the Obama administration, is inexcusable. He should be fired and fired now.
What he doesn’tsay is that Fitzgerald had reason to think that Obama himself might become involved, or has been more involved, so we get a Watergate Scenario where his staff tries to conceal his involvement.
Mr. Fitzgerald needs to go after the top bidder also and that would be Jessie Jackson Jr.
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