A comment in an earlier thread:

This morning, Glenn Beck was lamenting the fact that the lefty blogosphere and elitist MSM wasn’t on Blago like they were on Palin. “Have you heard anyone call this guy stupid?”

I went to google news to see if they had a search for the transcript, so I could make fun of Beck and point to hundreds of places where Democrats are calling Blagojevich stupid and to note that it must be something kind of special to have to wait three months to find someone dumber than Sarah Palin, and this is the result of my search:

On second thought, maybe that was what I was looking for after all.

Michelle Malkin, always the Republican victim:

Fitzgerald says President-elect Obama was not implicated in the plethora of charges against Democrats Blago and Harris. The national media went out of their way to absolve him, too. But declaring Team Obama’s hands clean — especially with Blago crony and indicted Obama donor Tony Rezko in the middle of it all — is premature. (And if you’re wondering why I keep putting “Democrat” in front of the accused corruptocrats, it’s because the mainstream newspapers can’t seem to remember to identify their party prominently the way they do when Republicans are nabbed.)

Really? The media is refusing to identify the party Blagojevich belongs to? Hrmm. Let’s check the front pages of some major news organizations. The hated NY Times:

In a sequence of events that neatly captures the contradictions of Barack Obama’s rise through Illinois politics, a phone call he made three months ago to urge passage of a state ethics bill indirectly contributed to the downfall of a fellow Democrat he twice supported, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich.

The LA Times:

Blagojevich, a Democrat who ran as a reformer eager to clean up corruption at the statehouse, spoke explicitly about the alleged bribes in profanity-laced conversations captured on FBI wiretaps in the governor’s home and campaign office, authorities said.

The WaPo:

Federal prosecutors charged Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) yesterday with engaging in a series of illegal schemes intended to enrich himself, including an attempt to sell the Senate seat recently vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

The WSJ:

The arrests of Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, and his chief of staff, John Harris, opened a new chapter in a state with a long history of wrongdoing by elected officials. Mr. Blagojevich (Blah-GOY-uh-vitch), 51 years old, and chief of staff John Harris, 46, were each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

AJC:

At the same time, Blagojevich egged on investigators, saying he didn’t care whether his conversations were being recorded, a flash of the sort of antagonistic style the two-term Illinois Democrat has become known for.

The Christian Science Monitor:

The arrest makes Governor Blagojevich, a Democrat, the second Illinois chief executive in a row to face charges of pay-to-play politics, a dispiriting event for residents weary of the state’s reputation for seamy politics. His predecessor, Republican George Ryan, is serving a 6-1/2-year sentence for a corruption conviction two years ago.

The Boston Globe:

In conversations riddled with coarse language and blunt threats that the FBI recorded with telephone wiretaps and listening devices planted in his campaign office, the Democratic governor laid bare a “pay-for-play” culture that, according to prosecutors, began shortly after he took office in 2002 and continued until before sunrise yesterday, when FBI agents arrested him and John Harris, his chief of staff.

Let’s try the major television networks. ABC:

What the stunning charges leveled against Gov. Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill., mean for the heretofore flawless transition…

CBS:

Federal prosecutors said flatly that there is no evidence of involvement by the president-elect in allegations that Blagojevich (D) attempted to sell Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.

Fair enough. But I bet the dastardly cable networks are covering up Blagojevich’s political affiliation. CNN:

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly is planning to return to work Wednesday, a day after his indictment on federal corruption charges.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested Tuesday on federal corruption charges.

The Democrat appeared in court Tuesday afternoon to hear federal corruption charges against him and was released on $4,500 bail.

Fox News:

The federal corruption allegations against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich cast an embarrassing glare on the world of Chicago politics he shares with President-elect Barack Obama, even though the two Democrats aren’t close and there is no suggestion Obama did anything inappropriate.

MSNBC:

Drama and suspicion have long surrounded Mr. Blagojevich, a 51-year-old Democrat known locally for his quirky love of Elvis and a big black signature hairstyle of his own. Though he ran for office as a reformer, he has been embroiled for years in a federal investigation into hiring fraud that included multiple departments under his purview.

Guess not. Maybe the international papers are not covering his political affiliation? The UK Guardian:

Blagojevich, a Democrat, also thought about making his own run for the White House in 2016.

The China Daily:

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Die Welt:

Der Gouverneur des US-Bundesstaates Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, ist unter Korruptionsverdacht verhaftet worden. Ermittler werfen dem 51-jährigen Demokraten unter anderem vor, dass er den frei werdenden Senatssitz des künftigen US-Präsidenten Barack Obama verschachern wollte.

I give up. I am swamped with work, and that is 15 minutes of my time I will not get back. Maybe there are a wealth of stories out there that are failing to identify his political affiliation, but every website I have in my bookmarks did. There is a distinct possibility that Michelle Malkin is utterly and completely full of shit.

The NY Times reports:

In a sequence of events that neatly captures the contradictions of Barack Obama’s rise through Illinois politics, a phone call he made three months ago to urge passage of a state ethics bill indirectly contributed to the downfall of a fellow Democrat he twice supported, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich.

Mr. Obama placed the call to his political mentor, Emil Jones Jr., president of the Illinois Senate. Mr. Jones was a critic of the legislation, which sought to curb the influence of money in politics, as was Mr. Blagojevich, who had vetoed it. But after the call from Mr. Obama, the Senate overrode the veto, prompting the governor to press state contractors for campaign contributions before the law’s restrictions could take effect on Jan. 1, prosecutors say.

Tipped off to Mr. Blagojevich’s efforts, federal agents obtained wiretaps for his phones and eventually overheard what they say was scheming by the governor to profit from his appointment of a successor to the United States Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Obama.

This has Daniel Harper at Commentary magazine in a snit, and he treats us to some Grade A sarcasm:

Additionally, in case anyone doubted it, Obama’s “relationship with Mr. Blagojevich [has] always [been] defined more by political proximity than by personal chemistry.” Phew, glad that’s cleared up. In a way, it’s too bad Obama was elected; who, now, will be able to bestow upon the former-Senator the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

The second commenter in the thread expands on the derision:

Yeah, St. Barack saved the day, with his courageous phone call to Emil Jones re ILLINOIS POLITICAL ETHICS REFORM — a no-lose proposition if there ever was one, with absolutely no political downside for a national politician. Besides, Rezko had ALREADY bought Barack’s house using $$ he’d shaken down from the construction industry and other state vendors. So Barack didn’t have to worry about being evicted from either his house or his US Senate seat. How freakin’ courageous. He’s a bigger hero than Lincoln AND Grant rolled into one.

Now look, neocons. I know it must upset you that this Blagojevich scandal as of yet has failed to taint Obama, because I understand how excited you were to continue your guilt by association high from the election. The letdown is always rough after a binge, so a little hair of the dog is understandable.

But let me break this down for you. Sometimes, elected leaders are asked to show real courage, and vote against the will of the people to do something that is unpopular, but the right thing to do. They will pay a political price, but as leaders, that is what they have to do if they have the best interests of the nation at heart. In these cases, there is no reward other than knowing they have done the right thing, and there is a short-term political price to pay.

Other times, elected leaders get no-brainers- political gifts, if you will. They get to do the right thing, and they will be rewarded by the electorate for doing what is best for the country, and it really is a “gimme”- they get to do the right thing and will be given credit by the media and the voters. This case, with Obama pushing for the passage of this legislation, appears to be one such occurence.

This is just how it works out, and I know this is going to be hard for you to understand. After all, we have just spent eight years with George Bush and his third way, in which Republicans do the wrong thing for the wrong reasons and suffer huge political costs. I know that you have confused yourselves into thinking that is political courage, but in reality, it is just stupid, bad for the country, and for politicians, untenable. Unless, of course, you like the new heights of electoral success that the Republicans have achieved in 2006 and 2008.

Fortunately for everyone involved, Barack Obama is no George Bush.

I really have nothing that strikes me as worth discussing this morning. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything, but it does mean I just haven’t found anything that hasn’t been beaten into the ground already.

“John McCain wasn’t wingnutty enough for me. On the other hand, that Sarah Palin- Starbursts! Nom nom nom nom.”

Speaking of insane, my parents are picking up two adorable Jack Russell terrier puppies tomorrow at 3:45. I will have pictures and names when available.

Watching the news coverage of Blagealphabet, and how truly damning the recordings are, and the only thing that keeps popping into my mind is what on earth he was thinking. It was so damned brazen- this was not garden variety corruption. Jeffrey Toobin seems to be in a state of shock.

Meanwhile, the GOP is still completely clueless:

Shortly after the news broke that Blagojevich was arrested for, among other things, seeking to profit for filling the Senate seat vacated by Obama, the RNC fired off an e-mail to reporters that included laudatory remarks the president-elect has made about the troubled governor in the past.

Included in the RNC e-mail was an Obama quote: “If the governor asks me to work on his behalf, I’ll be happy to do it.”

The e-mail also noted that when Obama endorsed Blagojevich for a second term, The Associated Press reported the president-elect said: “We’ve got a governor in Rod Blagojevich who has delivered consistently on behalf of the people of Illinois.”

Apparently the RNC missed Blagojevich hating on Obama in the indictment. At any rate, today’s poll says 80% of the country approves of how Obama has been handling himself with the transition. Good luck with the smear. Morons.

And since we have not had one for a while, here is a kitty:

Two unrelated stories:

1.) Red State sent out questionnaires to all the candidates wanting to head the RNC, asking that they fill them out. None of them have responded.

2.) Larry Craig has lost his sex appeal. No, you perverts, his appeal to remove his guilty plea for soliciting sex in a bathroom.

I have said this before, but it is worth repeating:

In order for the Republicans to get back to their roots so that they may one day get back in power, they are going to have to become “fiscal conservatives” again. Now granted, looking at the history of Republican rule, they have NEVER been fiscal conservatives, as the vast majority of our national debt, to include the largest annual budget deficits, were all brought to you via Republicans. However, there are a lot of idiots like me out there who don’t pay attention, and think Republicans are fiscally responsible. As such, expect the Republicans to spend the next few years simply saying no to any and all spending. What they are hoping is a couple years of them saying no and the Obama administration spending will allow them to rebuild their favorite fantasy- the GOP as prudent defenders of the taxpayer’s money.

With that in mind, Tim Pawlenty has an op-ed in the Politico, urging the Republicans to… wait for it, wait for it… “return” to fiscal responsibility:

The Republican Party’s conservative values — freedom, personal and moral responsibility, the power of capitalism and a limited accountable government — are as important as ever. The GOP should build on its core principles by making its case with common sense ideas that are better than our competitors.

Our approach on issues like security, energy independence, free market solutions for better health care and education with a focus on accountability for results instead of just increased spending are ideas that will do just that.

But it all starts by putting first things first. A cornerstone of the Republican Party must be fiscal responsibility — living within our means like most Americans do. Wall Street and the federal government chronically disregard this principle and have substantially contributed to our current economic mess.

And because he knows Republicans don’t have it in their DNA to be responsible about anything (see this morning’s post for confirmation of that assertion), he is proposing a balanced budget amendment to FORCE them to be responsible. The Republicans understand that right now their number one mission is to return to the pre-Bush fantasy (and it is a fantasy, as this graph demonstrates) that they are somehow responsible stewards of your money. The fact that this is mere fiction will not stop them, and you should be prepared to swat down all the disingenuous posturing and posing they intend to do as they attempt to simulate fiscal responsibility the next few years. This isn’t about actual fiscal conservatism, this is about getting back in power to relive the glory years of the Bush administration, because we need to face facts- the folks pushing this pile of twaddle are the same ones who make up the 28% crowd who would have voted for Bush again in 2008.

I would love a fiscally responsible government, and that is why I voted for the Democrats. At least if they blow billions, it will be on the American people.

Whatcha gonna do when they come for you:

KopBusters rented a house in Odessa, Texas and began growing two small Christmas trees under a grow light similar to those used for growing marijuana. When faced with a suspected marijuana grow, the police usually use illegal FLIR cameras and/or lie on the search warrant affidavit claiming they have probable cause to raid the house. Instead of conducting a proper investigation which usually leads to no probable cause, the Kops lie on the affidavit claiming a confidential informant saw the plants and/or the police could smell marijuana coming from the suspected house.

The trap was set and less than 24 hours later, the Odessa narcotics unit raided the house only to find KopBuster’s attorney waiting under a system of complex gadgetry and spy cameras that streamed online to the KopBuster’s secret mobile office nearby.

On a scale of one to ten for awesome, this rates an eleven. You would think the Odessa police would have better things to do, but what with the money-making aspects of the ridiculous war on drugs via asset forfeiture, it is much more lucrative to chase down pine trees than it is to fight crime.

Radley Balko has more.

CNN is reporting that Gov. Blagojevich is in federal custody- I have not been following the case, so I honestly do not know what is going on, but the CNN Reporter, laboring under the tragic porn-star name of “Fuzz Hogan,” did mention Rezko.

*** Update ***

More here:

On the issue of the U.S. Senate selection, federal prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate.

Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.

Blagojevich and Harris, along with others, obtained and sought to gain financial benefits for the governor, members of his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state jobs and state contracts.

“The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering,” U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement.

“They allege that Blagojevich put a ‘for sale’ sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism.”

Apparently the crooked bastard was trying to “sell” Obama’s Senate seat.

Tim is fond of pointing out that Republicans love to point out how terrible the government is, then they work really hard to get elected and prove their point. Via LGM, the next chunk of evidence:

The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Agriculture have no plan to work together in the event of a food-borne disease outbreak or terrorist attack. The Department of Defense’s security clearance process takes so long it jeopardizes classified information. The EPA’s chemical risk assessment program is improperly influenced by private industry.

When Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) requested a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) listing questions his fellow senators might ask President-elect Barack Obama’s political nominees at their upcoming confirmation hearings, he probably didn’t expect a 150-page list of Bush administration screwups. But that’s what he got.

The entire report is here (.pdf).

Here we go again:

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) called on President-elect Obama Monday to raise the Small Business Administration to a cabinet-level position, as it was under the Clinton administration.

Snowe’s request raises an interesting scenario: If Obama raised the SBA and then named Snowe as the secretary, Maine Gov. John Baldacci—a Democrat—would be in position to appoint a Democrat to the Senate, giving the party at least 59 members. That’d leave them one short of a filibuster-proof majority. If Al Franken pulled out a victory in the Minnesota recount, Democrats would be at 60.

I can’t be the only one who thinks all this nonsense about 60 is just an excuse- “Oh noes, we wanted to do this, but we only had 58 Democrtaic votes!” With as many moderates and conservative Dems as there are out there, I am hard pressed to think of scenarios where they would be unable to peel off a Republican vote or two, and should they fail to do that, they will have probably already lost conservative Democrats. The simple fact that they are counting Lieberman as one of the solid 58 votes shows how fanciful this thinking is. This focus on 60 Democrats is silliness.

Speaking of fetishes- Bush’s EPA director can’t figure out the difference between science and God. I am sure this surprises no one.

Scanning the comments of the previous thread about the Obama cabinet picks, and one thing is clear- when the Democrats are out of power, all energy is spent hating on the GOP, and when Democrats are in power, all that energy is directed towards hating on other Democrats. It really is pretty fun to watch.

In news that should make everyone happy (and which I am late mentioning), Obama appointed Shinseki to run the VA. While most of us get a touch excited about the fact that this really is a giant middle finger to Rumsfeld and company, Fallows is correct in that there is something nice about the Obama justification of Shinseki: “He was right.”

This is also why I am being patient about the Obama picks- folks on the progressive left are also correct when they point out that many of the Obama economic picks were, well, wrong about many things. Likewise, the conventional wisdom about his national security team is also something to keep an eye on.

Pure idiocy from Andrew Breitbart:

At the exact moment Jon Favreau is receiving high praise in pre-inaugural media puff pieces, the 27-year-old chief speechwriter for President-elect Barack Obama (not Jon Favreau, the Hollywood actor/ director) finds himself in a minor mess over a photo from a recent private party showing him groping the breast of a cardboard cutout of Hillary Rodham Clinton as an unnamed pal wearing an “Obama staff” T-shirt kisses and feeds her beer.

If you haven’t seen it, imagine the early stages of the barroom rape scene of “The Accused” with Jodie Foster. Or think prosecutor Mike Nifong’s graphic (though false) descriptions of the Duke lacrosse party. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson danced to a similar tune at the 2004 Super Bowl.

Fraternities have been closed for less.

Here is the picture in question:

Just like a barroom rape scene. Except, you know, with a cardboard cut-out. And no rape.

I am not going to argue what they were doing was appropriate for public consumption, but calling this akin to the early stages of rape is wankery of the first order. And I challenge you to find ANY fraternity that was closed for less than this. Anywhere.

Activist Judges!:

The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth.

The court did not comment on its order Monday rejecting the call by Leo Donofrio of East Brunswick, N.J., to intervene in the presidential election. Donofrio says that since Obama had dual nationality at birth — his mother was American and his Kenyan father at the time was a British subject — he cannot possibly be a “natural born citizen,” one of the requirements the Constitution lists for eligibility to be president.

Andrew McCarthy’s posts at the NRO will be fun today, I am sure.