Posted on 07/08/2010 1:07:51 PM PDT by SkyPilot
CHICAGO (AP) - Rod Blagojevich hid in the bathroom, ducked into the back room and left the office early to avoid discussing complex issues with his top aides, his former deputy said Thursday at the ousted governor's corruption trial.
Former Deputy Governor Robert Greenlee portrayed Blagojevich as disengaged from daily affairs of state, saying Blagojevich spent on average about two to eight hours a week in his office when he was governor. He said that during working hours, the governor generally was at home or attending high-profile events.
Greenlee said he would confer with Blagojevich by telephone when they discussed issues and policy matters, but that he once had to go to dinner with the governor and his family at a bowling alley to get Blagojevich to focus on legislation that had to be addressed immediately.
He brought 20 bills to the bowling alley, he said, walking a reluctant governor through legislation that would have automatically become law had he taken no action. Blagojevich ended up vetoing some.
Former key aide John Filan, Greenlee testified, had to chase after the governor to get him to discuss important items.
``He would hide in the bathroom, hide in the back room or leave early,'' Greenlee said.
Greenlee said Blagojevich went to great lengths to avoid staffers whom he felt disagreed with him too often.
(Excerpt) Read more at thesouthern.com ...
I can swear in a Court of Law that this idiot spent at least 20 hours a week in a State helicopter flying to and from Springield.
“Aide says Blago hid in bathroom to avoid staff”
Perhaps he just drank too much ice tea?
Just imagine this. If Obama’s Senate seated had not been vacated Blago may have been able to remain a respected member of the liberal democrat politocol class for years and years to come, rising through the bureaucracy.
He seems like VP material if you look at some of the other clowns the democrats have recently introduced us too...Edwards (corrupt self promoter) Gore (stupid corrupt self promoter)
but the Democrats who voted for him (multiple times) are just as nuts.
I beginning to think that elections in IL are just declared. Sure, people get to vote but those just disappear.
“This guy is nuts - but the Democrats who voted for him (multiple times) are just as nuts.”
I actually know republicans in my district who voted for him, because Judy Barr Topinka was more of a lib than he was.
He was touted as an outsider to Chicago, an enemy of Daley, or so his campaign ran, enemy of Mel, etc etc. This appealed to many out here who are sick of the Daley Machine, while Topinka was pegged as a total lib, she marched in the gay parades, was cozy with Daley etc.
Some folks don’t look at the R or D behind the name, they go with the lesser of 2 evils I guess.
Not saying he was the lessor, just saying I know folks who normally vote R who voted D.
I campaigned for Oberwiess, but he was crucified in the media for his anti-illegal immigrant stance as a racist, and his numbers fell of a cliff.
So, yeah, what do you do? Vote in a liberal R who wants to support the gay agenda and is in bed with the unions, or support a D who has a history of being at odds with Chicago and his machine. Tough call for many.
A common complaint against Blago from day one, from both parties was that Blago thought the capitol of Illinois was Chicago. He spent very little time in Springfield.
Illinois has been cursed with criminal governors from both parties for a very long time. I think we might even out rank New Jersey on the corruption scale.
Doing anything remotely like what you promised and are paid to do for 2-8 hours a week qualifies you for collectivist sainthood and an unlimited pension.
Might be time to enact a law to require the Governor to live and spend x amount of days a week in Springfield. To a Chicagoan, that’s a fate worse than death.
Is there something in the water in Chicago that breeds such scum as Blago and his cronies? Or is there a magnet that draws in the irresponsible, lazy, America hating lefties like Obama, Ayers, et al? Poor Chicago...with liberals in charge there is little hope for what was once a lovely place.
I don’t care much for Springfield myself but then again, I’m not the governor.
It’s a Lincoln Tourist Town and not much else.
Sounds like Bozo’s type of politician doesn’t he?
Funny, how in one paragraph, Blago goes from 53 years old to 54 years old. Doesn’t say much for the proof-reader or the editor.
I don’t drink the tap water. I doubt Blago does either. He’s probably an Evian man.
I’ve never been. Can’t blame him for not wanting to live there but he was the Governor.
Hid in the bathroom huh?
I still remember this guy at some parade in 2002 that all the pols went to. He handed my little brother a Blago SPONGE (we got a bunch of them, they stank and didn’t work well) and my brother torn it in half. He admonished him that when he got older “you’ll be glad to have him”. I want to talk that guy right now.
Maybe we will be glad to have him if he has the goods on Zero. He’ll be a national hero. ;-D
He’ll suddenly come down with a previously undiagnosed fatal heart defect or out of the blue decide to “take his own life”.
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