CNN

Lisa's hot!

Illinois has given us such great people and memories. Looking forward to seeing all of this unfold.

it's time for Quinn to step in.

@ anonymous in Big D

We are waiting to see the tears in yoru eyes when you finally have to admit none of this can be connected to Obama in any way, shape or form. You've got 4 years to learn a new way of living in and perceiving the world and in how you treat your fellow citizens. I suggest you get crackin ' if you people want any chance at all in 2012.

Reform Chicago or Illinois first, and then the nation or the world.

By the way CNN I love your photos of the Governor. He looks anywhere from Al Capone to a 16 year old. It's great.

I love all you gunslingers on this blog. Blago is probably a crook and will soon be gone. I"m not defending the loser, but just a quick reminder about democracy in America:

1) Innocent until proven guilty
2) He was elected by the voters of Illinois in a legitimate election (as foolish as that may have been). The people have spoken. Let's be very careful about the means by which he is removed. I'm not sure I like the idea of Attorneys General or courts removing elected officials from office. In some places, that is called a coup.
3) Several of you keep asking why he doesn't just resign. Quick history lesson: Recent scandals involving the Democratic governors of New York and New Jersey and Dem. Senator Torricelli from NJ also resulted in resignations.... but only after negotiations led to a resignation but no criminal charges being filed. His only leverage right now is to remain as governor and to negotiate with Fitzgerald for a no-jail deal. Like it or not, that's the way these political corruption crimes have come to be handled.

So, those of you awaiting instant gratification are just gonna have to hold it for awhile.

Yes, he should, Eleanor, with NOBAMA right along with him! Nobama is just another product of the Chicago political machine – you just wait and see!

I have to laugh that whenever these politicians, televangelist, and pretty much most criminals get caught, they get visited by religious clergy. Amazing how religion becomes a primary factor in their lives when they are caught in a criminal or untruthful act or action. It would serve them wisely to act religiously and truthful all the time. It's called having morals, and it doesn't take religion to act that way, just respectable character.

THAT GOVERNOR IS A DISGRACE TO THE AMERICAN CONSITUTION AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. I HOPE THE ILL. SUPREME COURT WILL HEAR THIS CASE AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR ALL AMERICANS

By Lisa Madigan's logic, we should also rule Rod Blagojevich unfit to be a parent and take his two school-age daughters out of his custody, right?

Time will tell – there are "bad" politicians of all stripes everywhere – but there are also good ones – the American voter needs to be very aware of what is going on and "know" what you are voting for, and then keep an accounting of what gets done and "why"!! – It really falls on the the American Peoples shoulders to keep our government working for us.

clean up the house of incoming president home!!

You have to understand. Republicans are the same people that believed "I can see Alaska from my house" and "Putin reers his head" meant Palin had good foreign relations credentials and experience....so of course it makes sense in their bitter, party-line addled minds that this creates an opportunity to link Obama to Chicago corruption. I mean, after all, Obama and him were in the same City at the same time and that's a lot closer than Alaska and Russia...

Why do you have this idiot along side President Obama. Where is Wright and the others. Shame on you Cnn. Find one of the pics he took with bush probably at the annual governors meeting.

'Get over it' is right, this guy have not had his day in court and so the presumption of innocence is on his side till then.

It's hypocritical for the Obama supporters to condemm the Bush administration for failing to give Due Process rights to the terrorists at Gitmo and then deny the same rights to this governor.

Cut a deal Rod... you won't like prison... Obama turned his back on you so there is no loyalty... better do it before Rezko does... because he knows you won't be there to help him much longer...

Do it... Do the right thing... bring the entire "Chicago Machine" down!

To Jesse Jackson Sr. Hope with me that your son is not implicated in the ILLINOIS AFFAIR. He is your legacy. We Hawaiians love Obama. You were very instrumental in helpingt him become PRESIDENT...

HAWAIIANS ARE WATCHING... Haved loved you for decades. (haoule is a white man here) in case you didn't know,but all 120 ethnic groups in Hawaii love one another. We are the American dream.....Love Bill Hoffman

I love all this Craig did this and Stevens did that. They should have stepped down and Should have gone to jail for the crimes they committed. That dose not change the fact that this man broke the law and we all know it. Yes he is not guilty until convicted but that dose not mean he did not do any thing wrong. I also would like to point out that wile you spin things to look like repubs are trying to kick him out to make a statement the truth is that it is the dems that are trying to get rid of him asap. Rember it was your holy one that said he should step down, not bush. The dem party wants this to go away before he gets impeached because if this goes to impeachment every thing will come out and many will suffer the same fate as Blago.

Sincerely to Jesse Jackson Sr.......From a hawaiian haole. Please hope with me that your son is not gullible in the iLLINOIS AFFAIR.

You are Martin Luther Kings legacy. Your work helped put Barok where he is. Your son will inherit this legacy.

Help us all.... Bill hoffman.. .a hauole which is a pure white man in Hawaii. Hawaiins love you all. No predjudice here.

This moron Governor is a disgrace for the American people! He is an arrogant, idiot and la lier.

Of course he needs to resign, because the accusations made are thoroughly backed up by taped conversations. He is mentally unstable, though, so probably won't resign, and will have to be thrown out through the courts or legislature. Illinois politics needs to be cleaned up for good, and getting rid of some of these people will be a first step. Friends of mine who grew up in Chicago were always happy to give $50 to their alderman to get rid of a traffic ticket.....and on and on. Madison County IL isn't any better than Cook County and others in Illinois. Also, I hope Sare Palin is paying attention to all this.

Why did Senator Stevens from Alaska not go to Jail? he was actually found guilty of 7 felony counts 7 Are you kidding me and was able to stay in Senate and Run for Re Election,what the IL Gov did was wrong but he is Innocent until Proven Guilty he didn actually sell the Senate seat But Stevens actually was found guilty are you kidding me?

This crook should be gone!!!
Having said that tho its downright ridiculous to link all chicago politicians with this crook!
Bc they are from chicago it only stands to reason they will cross paths
and brush arms and speak but that doesnt mean the media or anyone else has the right to say bc some are crooks they all are!!
that kind of thinking is like the other network who are never fair!
what about Dick Durban and others like vice-president elect Obama
Sorry but you have to have the brains and morality to realize you cant make a blanket statement that they are all crooks

@ No Hillary = No Obama

You fail at math.

Slippery slope. The guy shoud certainly be impeached, but "unable to serve" was not meant to refer to this type of situation. Granting this would open the door to these kinds of motions all over the country and encourage their use as political leverage tools.

"Greene: Will Chicago ever be ready for reform?"

Yeah, when the Cubs win the World Series! LOL!!!! I'm playing, I'm playing. Ohhh man, the lord loves us...

he should be impeached and then he should demand that alaska's governor also be impeached.

There is speculation that this guy may be mentally ill, you would think.

It will be good if they clean up Chicago before Obama takes the Office, otherwise how will he be going home to a corrupt governor and a governor who he doesn't get along with.

I would think 'Charity begins at home' they say!

I've been reading and watching the news regarding this governor. His statements, behavior,and appearance makes me believe he has a mental, medical, or drug problem. There is something wrong with this man. I do believe he needs professional help. I do not live in Cgo. have only become aware of this man through the media. He has some issues that I believe can only be detected by professionals. I WILL NOT JUDGE ALL CHICAGO POLITICIANS AND OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS. WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO KEEP TRACK OF THE GOOD AND THE BAD, THE ONES WHO ONLY WANT TO GAIN WEALTH AND THOSE WHO PUT AMERICA AND IT'S PEOPLE FIRST. I'm glad the crooks are realizing they will eventually get caught by the FBI, someone with a camera, or some other device. This is a new day, who can you trust? Just keep in mind daily WWJD OR WWJS. WOULD NOT HURT TO READ THE COMMANDMENTS OFTEN. CROOKED DEEDS WILL SOON CATCH UP WITH YOU.

Like it or not, legally, they cannot do anything to him at this point because he hasn't been convicted of anything, he has just been arrested on accusations.

And Fitsgerald botched this case by closing it too early, withour any other prime suspects.

Cut a deal Rod... give them everyone... nobody has your back anymore... and now Rezko knows you don't have his so it's going to be dog eat dog... give us all the dirt you know about over the last six years... cause I'm betting you have the goods on a whole bunch of people

I am thoroughly ashamed of the Governor. Why do these people continue to be corrupt. Eventually they all get caught, and yet as we speak there is so much more we do not know of that is going on with someone of our representatives. You will get caught folks – its just a matter of time and it does not matter what title you carry.

Throw his a$$ out.

Blago is not the type of guy to step down willingly. They need to act quickly to remove him from office.

Is that picture Photoshopped? Blago's reflection is creeping me out.

Only our new " Messiah ",Barrack Obama, could surround himself with all these skunks ( apologies to actual skunks ) and come out smelling like he rolled in a bed of roses.
News Media...it's time to get the close pin off your noses and take a good wiff of the B.O. !!!!

Based on what I have heard in the media, it does appear that Blagojevich is guilty and should no longer serve as the governor of Illinois. We have this concept in our judicial process of "Innocent until PROVEN guilty. We also have this thing in our constitution call due process.
I applaud Ms. Madigans desire to get rid of an embarrasing and problematic political issue of having a governor accused of corruption. However, I think it is a stretch to claim that the governor can no long do his job because the federal indictment is like having a physical disability.
I would be interested to hear what proof she has that Blagojevich is physically or mentally incapable of executing the duties of governor at this time.

This moran learnt very well from Geroge Bush and Dick Cheney.

My take on the Chicago/Illinois corruption climate is that it's not that there are more corrupt politicians in Chicago/Illinois than other areas, it's that they have more agressive procecutors. If you unleach a team of procecutors like Fitsgerald on the rest of the nation with wire taps the corruption climate would spread to every state. Obama's call for change was not just about policy but had a lot to do with the way politicians do business.

I'd rather have this guy then this loser sonny perdue here in GA.

Consider the charge...after being found guilty, , charge his wife with influence peddling. Both should go to jail, and have the grandparent,Mr. Mell, also part of the Chicago way, raised his grand daughters.
Fair justice for all.....Also go after Stroger, I will always raise your taxes Cook county board who learned from his dad.

*** Carl from MI: That is funny! I agree!

**No Hillary = No Obama: 'narcissistic personality?' Stop praising yourself! LOL!

Seriously; I am concerned about the stablity of the Gov. and his wife. I pray they face up to their charges soberly. He seems a little bit Forest Gumpish to me.

Blagojevich still thinks he is the last living mafia,godfather.

It's simple – he's obviously broke and is looking out for his income as well as his wife. He knows his family is probably ruined. Besides the fact that the wife could be joining him in prison, who would hire her now for any sort of well-paying job? She's poison too. You have to feel sorry for his kids< because they had nothing to do with their crooked parents" actions!

His Chief of Staff just resigned...One down, one to go! SCUM!

This man is a loose cannon and should be put in the slammer forever, along with his better half.

Mary, not every comment you make, they let one through. See, the moderators do tolerate dissenting views.

He's got a lush mink hat on his head.

A 20-month freshman junior senator at a cost of 50 million taypayer dollars for this special election that will just divide and distract the Illinois people? No thanks. Governors exist for a reason and just because Rod Blagojevich has been charged, doesn't mean we should get rid of the office.

Plus if Pat Quinn appoints someone right now, that person would have more seniority (very important in the US senate) then all the recently elected senators.

Let's get all these scum bags out of office. I'm tired of the big wigs getting rich and all of these corporate bailouts. We have people homeless and hungry out here, it is time we all get mad and FED UP!!!

Seems like a prerequisite to be part of the Ilinois political pool is to be a narcissistic personality.

just curious why every comment I make remains under "moderation"

Go to jail, go directly to jail!

I say get him out of there immediately. Do whatever it takes to render him powerless.

MSNBC has a great story on the history of this guy and how Obama has tried to avoid this man from the beginning! Obama would not even let him talk at the Dem convention! Blago should have gone a long, long time ago. He truely has a mental problem!!!

Where's Bunnatine Greenhouse?

...and WHY are Bush and Cheney STILL in office?

How refressing to hear the comments from the Illinois A.G. Lisa Miligan. Ms. Milligan was very well spoken on the "mess" occuring in Illinois politics. I vote to make her the temporary governor and then let's get her in the US Senate. We need more competent people like her in Washington.

David Hanson
Oklahoma City

He is living like NAH, NAH, NAH come and catch me if you can.

The governor might be corrupt and needs to resign his position but he is not as detrimental to America as the Republican Senators are with their union busting tactics.

Unfortunately the U.S. political system and for that matter the justice system are polluted with incorrigibles.

Obama used to praise him as a great leader, so he thought he was on top of the world. It is all human, imperfect and sinful human nature, not Democrat or Republican or Independent or anyone else, male or female, white or black or yellow, with a good head of hair or not.

I wonder does he know our Kwame from Detroit?? Wow geez I thought this only happened in Detroit? We had to drag our corrupt mayor out of office!!!!!!!

Someone please tell us who blew the whistle on Governor Blojo. I still think it was either the Chicago newspaper or one of the childrens hospital officials.
Either way, it was an incredible "sting."

Get him out of there.......whatever way is the quickest!

Alaskans should go to their Supreme court too of Palin vices!!

The Gov. has made his money, there will be book deals and maybe
even a TV/Movie deal coming his way...

Right On.... Go get him...the governor is a slimeball, the people of Illinois should be outraged.

Oh, I can't wait until he starts to name names as part of a plea-bargain. A lot of dirty Chicago politicians are about to be exposed.

Hang him and hang him high (al la Clint Eastwood).

Why doesn't this jerk just resign?

Who does he think he is... Larry Craig? Ted Stevens?

Democrats need to admit when it comes to staying in their job after committing a crime... they're weezing on a Republican gig!!

Only Republicans can do that and still pretend they've done nothing wrong and keep their head held high!

Shame on this guy!! He's no Republican and he should stop pretending to be....

Kick every crooked politician out – set an example of what will happen the next time someone tries to use a public office for personal gain. VOTES COUNT in every election, no matter what level of government.

The Governor is imposingly arrogant. He is a punk and not a decent man based on his articulations, actions, and behaviour.

Prosecute him and let him taste the life in jail so he could learn to rectify his deeds, sober up and be a changed man.

Lets get Rush Limbaugh.Enact the Fairness Doctrine.

Go Lisa!!!

The man is not yet convicted of any crime, but clearly hamstrung as a public servant pending trial in the face of overwhelming evidence. He needs to step down or be removed as quickly as possible.

Madigan is cut from the same cloth as Blago. Her ambition is to be Governor, not to see justice be done.

Madigan should resign as well. She's terrible at her job.

and so she should, since this dolt does not seem to get the point.

I was not a supporter of Obama, but when the next President (who is from your town) tells you to step down, you do it.

That works for me. If he can't think of what would be best for the state of Illinois, then there is no point to him continuting being governor. The state's welfare should come first. I say that the Lt. Gov be put in by the state's supreme court so he can appoint a person to fill the Senate seat.