If this is a story about the very corrupt (allegedly, of course) Governor of Illinois, why are you looking at a picture of Fran Drescher?
First, the very strange breaking political story of the morning:
An official says Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich)
has been arrested in Chicago on corruption charges stemming from the
selection of the successor to President-elect Barack Obama's U.S.
Senate seat.
U.S. Attorney's office spokesman Randall
Samborn says both Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were
arrested Tuesday. Authorities aren't yet releasing details about those
charges. However, a federal law enforcement official tells The
Associated Press the governor is accused of corruption charges. The
official says the charges stem from the selection process of a
successor to Obama.
Federal prosecutors have investigated
Blagojevich's administration for at least three years. They've been
looking at everything from how he hired people for state jobs to the
actions of friends and contributors. [NYTimes]
(The Huffington Post adds that he was "conspiring to financially benefit" from the appointment and for threatening to illegally withhold state assistance in the matter of the sale of Wrigley Field to the Tribune Company.)
He was already under investigation for corruption in an unrelated case, so what does he do? Apparently, it's not realize that he may have a stoolie in the house or a tap on his phone and take some more bribes, this time from... wait, how is this corruption? Did Jesse Jackson, Jr. offer him a bribe? We find it hard to believe Tammy Duckworth, the Iraq War vet serving in the state of Illinois would've entered into a corrupt bargain, but maybe. And maybe it's not even involving an actual candidate-- just someone who wanted to influence the decision.
In an unrelated story, Fran Drescher has expresed interest in being appointed to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. We're dead serious. Here's the report from CNN, which is so insane, even they can't keep a straight face:
No, seriously.
"Fran Drescher, actress, women's health advocate and public
diplomacy envoy for the U.S. State Department, announced that she is
throwing her hat into the ring of contenders for the senate seat being
vacated by Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton,"
Drescher spokesman Jordan Brown told CNN in a written statement late
Monday.
Drescher, 51, is best known for her starring role in the 1990s
television comedy "The Nanny" and an adenoidal voice that could strip
the rust off an engine block — a talent that might come in handy during
a Senate filibuster.
But since a bout with uterine cancer, she has become an activist for
better health care for women and was named a State Department public
envoy on the issue in September. Drescher recently toured Eastern
European countries to raise awareness of the issue on behalf of the
State Department. [CNN]
She has no chance whatsoever of being appointed by the Governor of New York, but that won't stop Chuck Schumer from breathing a sigh of relief when another person is named. After all, he's probably looking forward to having easier competition for press competition than Hillary Clinton...
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