 are totally separate as a matter of law from his criminal case in federal court. The jury could acquit him in five minutes and Patrick Fitzgerald could offer a weepy apology and the ban would be as strong and unreviewable as ever.
He can run only for Congress or Senate. Good luck with that, I say.
Posted by: Wendy C | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 09:22 PM
Dave you seem to have enough respect for the Tribune to be a frequent reader and commenter. I assume you saw this article:
Money quote: "He has time and again demonstrated a readiness to unabashedly assert claims that are demonstrably untrue."
Another: "To NBC's Meredith Vieira, he said prosecutors had coerced former aides into inventing incriminating testimony in exchange for plea deals that promised light sentences. But it was three former deputy governors not accused in the case who outlined many of the alleged shakedowns while also detailing Blagojevich's almost total avoidance of his official duties."
Posted by: Kip | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 09:32 PM
Why doesn't any interviewer challenge Blagojevich about his claims that the FBI would not allow him to tape the March 16, 2005 interview where he claimed he did not track who contributed to him? This is what he is convicted of lying to the FBI about. The FBI agent, Patrick Murphy, testified the FBI interviewed Blagojevich at the Winston and Strawn law offices in front of several attorneys. Before the interview started, Murphy testified they offered to record Blagojevich's interview, but they were refused. Why doesn't anyone call him on the lie about the lie? By the way, what would the basis of appeal be? Doesn't it have to be a point of law or an error by the trial judge - not just that the jury is wrong (in Blagojevich's opinion).
Posted by: Mary | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 09:40 PM
---I have seen the interview, the idea that Chris Wallace "wiped the floor" with Blago is absurd. Look at it for yourself. Wallace asks tougher questions than "The View" which isn't saying much. It is amazing to me, that after two years, and hours of sample prep cross examination questions by his attorneys, that Blago doesn't do better on what are fairly obvious questions. But if you followed the trial at all, he really was never seriously tripped up by Wallace and gave answers that could have easily been elaborated on and explained by an attorney in closing argument.I would like to see one person with a real, in depth, knowledge of the facts, as presented at trial, grill Blago
Posted by: Mike from Forest Park | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 10:00 PM
Mike, agree and that is why he will NEVER take the stand. He also will never take a plea deal, his ego wont allow for that. While Wallace could have done better and Blagojevich, after at least 6 months of intensive trial prep for cross-examination, still can't answer some of the more basic questions and his physical manifestations of lying are obvious whenever he is cornered and pressed for an answer.
Posted by: a thought | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 10:18 PM
The reason why Blago doesn't do better on basic questions is that he has no defense. So, he really has three choices: he can tell the truth and admit to being guilty as charged (in at least some cases); he can lie and make something up (see answer to the interview at the Winston and Strawn offices); or he can ignore the question and come up with a response that is a non-sequitur. In most cases, he chooses the latter, perhaps because he feels that it's better than lying.
Here are a couple of random examples that come to mind: Meredith Viera asked him if he's close with his brother. Blago's response: my brother served his country and is a colonel in the US Army. Huh?
Chris Wallace asked if he felt that his difficulties would cause problems for Illinois Democrats in the November election. Blago's response was to say how a runaway prosecutor was persecuting him. Duh.
Jon Stewart just asked him if he guarantees that he'll testify in the next trial. Most normal people would probably answer something like "well, you can't really tell. It depends on what happens in the trial". Blago again came up with some ridiculous non-answer.
BTW, even Stewart made him look like an idiot!
That's why he will never testify. He would be a defense attorney's worst nightmare.
Posted by: Michael | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 10:32 PM
Jon Stewart has finally confirmed what I've been saying for over a year, Blagojevich is a sociopath.
Posted by: Wendy C | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 10:33 PM
--Wendy: He can also run for President or move to another state & run for anything there.
He would fit in well in New Jersey or Louisiana, those two states are almost as corrupt as Illinois.
He would do terrible in Minnesota. While they have a thing for insane politicians [Michele Bachmann is example #1], they also want absolute honesty.
As for him being a sociopath, possibly, but definitely Blago is a narcissist! One day last year, while I had to go to the Daley Center for jury duty, I killed time during lunch by going up to the 29th floor, where the law library is. I came across copies of the actual state laws passed or vetoed. Blago's veto messages were fascinating in their narcissism. In every veto, he added that "I have vetoed this because a law I signed earlier duplicates this law".
A non-narcissist would have just written "this bill duplicates a previously passed law".
Posted by: Garry | Monday, August 23, 2010 at 11:14 PMIdeally located in the heart of Old Montreal, Lofts Du Vieux Port is in an area filled with old world charm & within easy access to Place d'Armes Train Station & Saint-Hubert Airport. From the hotel, guest can just walk to Montreal Science Centre & Montreal Museum of Archaeology & History.
Our complex have 24 lofts of studios and one- and two-bedroom units that are decorated in contemporary style for Muslims and Muslimas. Each of our rooms comes equipped with living room, dining area, work space, full kitchen and private bathroom.We always have this guilt hanging over us every time we have a glass of ice-cold beer. It is something that has been drummed into us by society and many people think that the consumption of beer is really bad for your health. However, it’s all about enjoying your favourite beer in sensible amounts and if you indulge in moderate consumption, then drinking beer can be a normal part of a healthy diet. Many reports suggest that if you consume beer in moderate amounts, it can actually be good for your health and it helps stave off issues with your heart. It has also helped in the reduction of strokes and high blood pressure.
This means that the next time that you are enjoying a cool glass of New Zealand craft beer, you can be comfortable in the knowledge that it is providing you with many health benefits. If you’re unaware of these benefits then let me try to list just some of them here.
Better heart health – Consuming beer moderately helps to reduce your chances of a heart attack and it also decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease in both men and women. The consumption of craft beer helps to lower your bad cholesterol levels and this helps to decrease your chances of diabetes. It also contains a lot of fibre, so this is a great help for those of us who want to be regular.
Stronger bones – Various studies tell us that people who consume beer in moderate levels have a much lower risk of experiencing the many arthritic conditions that people experience as they get older. Beer offers you a very high source of silicone and it is this that plays a major role in helping to increase your overall bone mineral density and this contributes to stronger bones.
It assists with weight loss – If you drink beer moderately, then you will find that there is a much lower risk of gaining weight, over those that don’t consume any beer at all. This goes contrary to what many people are led to believe, but it is true.
Like most things in this life, it’s all about moderation and drinking your craft beer in sensible amounts. The fact that it is higher in alcohol means that you have to consume less of it anyway in order to get that buzz which we all enjoy. If the weekend is coming up soon, maybe think about purchasing some locally brewed craft beer for a welcome change.Laskettelulasit Luotettavaa suojaa rinteessä.College football conferences postponing or canceling this season because of the coronavirus are making a “political decision,” former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker said Saturday.
“You look at the areas where they decided to play football and the areas that they’re not going to play football… and I think it’s a political decision because these young men are tested twice a day,” Walker said.on Fox News’ “Justice with Judge Jeanine.”
“These young men are scanned before they even go to practice. And I said, you know, the health of these young men is under scrutiny by some of the best, best professional doctors out there. And they end up taken care of.”
SEC FOOTBALL COACHES REPORTEDLY FRUSTRATED WITH CROSS-DIVISIONAL GAMES: ‘FAVORITISM