USA media today seem abuzz with news that the U.S. Attorney has arrested Illinois Rod Blagojevich (D) on charges of attempting to sell the Obama vacancy and refusing to use State money to bail out the Chicago Tribune (which, until its recent endorsement of Obama, was known for decades as THE Midwestern Republican paper); Illinois GOP Chair Andy McKenna was shown locally insisting the Governor should resign immediately due to being charged; CNN legal analyst Jeff Toobin this morning said the Senate WILL refuse to seat any Senator Blagojevich names, if any, to the Obama vacancy.

Well, there certainly has been a lot of claptrap about Rod, yet to date not even the Illinois GOP would say there was reason to use the State Constitution’s paragraphs about easy impeachment…at ANY prior time…against him.

Next, Andy McKenna back in the Summer of 2005 was cited in the Tribune and central Illinois Pantograph, inter alia, as offering $10,000 to anybody who would say Mayor Daley was a corrupt crook AND had legal proof of it…no known takers, ever, so McKenna could be taken now as just doing what comes naturally in his type of position.

Then there’s the fact that U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald himself has said Blagojevich’s arrest does NOT stem from a grand jury indictment, just some apparent “ex rel” upon third party complaint(s); surely, Fitzgerald WILL seek to back up his case by seeking an indictment on those charges, won’t he? I mean, as if the Governor had ever been a flight risk in the first place.

Looking at this, and I doubt the US Attorney would be grabbing camera time if he didn’t want us to, I find it so far that Mr. Fitzgerald dittos the ILGOP in finding nothing else of which Blagojevich could properly be accused of initiating, nor any other party(ies) then benefiting from all prior past alleged corruptions; in that the DOJ hasn’t denied it will fire U.S. Attorneys who aren’t GOP-partisan friendly, one has to assume what otherwise has passed in Rod’s tenure has been to the absolute satisfaction of the White House. Thus, there’s no true “Blago baggage” clinging to today’s histrionics…nor to Obama, now that it’s kosher to say he IS a USA national by birth.

The Tribune non-bailout is easy…why SHOULD any government bail out anything nobody can afford to buy (or cares to), without counting in the bailout of customers, employees, or both? THAT would be “offensive” to the moral character of USA government?

Now let’s say the Governor, obviously fully cognizant of Bush eyes from at least the time Obama announced candidacy, wanted to test the ease with which some Senatorial or other appointee(s) would succumb to pressure or temptations, only with eye toward crossing off the list any name(s) even coyly open to same? Um, even BUSH would try to fish out such data from his own as Governor and later President…wouldn’t he? One hopes more than “word-against-word” at the flat level will surface, the kind of necessary meat that SHOULD be present in a charge which…if heard unanswered by a grand jury…would leave little doubt as to guilt; after all, the White House wouldn’t just say hold someone indefinitely without trial or release after a flashy news grab, would it?

As to the CNN comment the Senate will not seat anybody Rod might appoint, why? Isn’t it a staple of USA law and Constitutional practice that absolutely every person charged for absolutely any crime(s), via indictment or ex rel, is absolutely innocent until proven guilty?

So no, I’m still not an un-American…IF Rod or anyone else appears to truly have done anything, follow procedures of a relevant prosecutorial office, allow them discovery, schedule them for a reasonably swift trial, and do not say they are guilty until they admit it or a Court or jury finds them guilty…and yes, even Rod Blagojevich is entitled to Constitutional handling, as those words must apply to everyone or they mean nothing for anyone.

Let’s hope it’s more than Fitzgerald hoping to keep his job despite DOJ partisanship problems already existent and over which Attorney General Gonzales resigned, or just another sop to neocons in reassurance change from the present socio-economic management protocols will be fought hard.