and just how crazy is this
Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich ditched his own impeachment trial to hit the talk show circuit this morning. And he says Oprah could “do good things for people.”
By John Charles Reedburg
It takes a bold man to upstage his own impeachment trial.
As the proceedings got underway today in Springfield, Ill., ROD BLAGOJEVICH ditched his own trial so he could work the talkshow circuit in New York. The Illinois governor accused of trying to sell off Barack Obama’s vacant senate seat went on The View and Good Morning America to tell them A: he’s innocent; B: Rahm Emanuel thinks so, too; and C: he considered appointing Oprah to the senate.
My thought was (here is) an African American woman who by herself probably has more influence than 100 senators. She was instrumental in the election of Barack Obama. She clearly could use her bully pulpit to do good things for people. The question was whether or not there was any chance at all that she’d be willing to do it…
How do you suggest something like that so it doesn’t look like it’s just a gimmick to get publicity at her expense. The answer is you don’t. If Blago had tried to put Oprah in the senate, everyone would have seen it as a bald-faced publicity stunt. It’s a publicity stunt to even mention it now.
Apparently, Blagojevich has given up on trying to win over the Illinois state legislature, so instead he’s trying to win over the American people. It looks like he’s hoping that makes a difference when he heads to real court where he’ll defend himself against federal corruption charges.
Blago complained that the impeachment was rigged because, unlike a real trial, hearsay is allowed, and he is not allowed to call witnesses to testify on his behalf.
Other politicians have worked at distancing themselves from the embattled governor, but Blagojevich seemed to be in name-dropping mode today, explaining that Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett could both attest to his innocence.
As he spoke to the gang on The View, the topic turned to his colorful speech.
After being warned by by Joy Behar to “watch the expletives because this is live,” Blago explained that hey, that’s how you talk when you grow up tough like him.
I was raised in a big city in a tough neighborhood, and when you’re a kid growing up in a neighborhood like that, you would never say words like that in front of your mother. But when you’re out there at the schoolyard, you’re playing basketball, or you’re out with the other guys, it’s just sort of the thing you do.
Unfortunately you try to get rid of some of those habits, you may have left the neighborhood, but part of the neighborhood never left you. What do you think? Is Blago for real? Is he being railroaded?
