As bad as the latest political scandal is, the governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich has singlehandedly confirmed the very thing we have spent our lives hoping would never come to pass: the sale of politics.  For a vacancy to become a commodity with a price tag undermines every principle the framers had hoped would safeguard our Constitution.  Despite all of the other scandals politicians

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seem to bury themselves in, this is by far one of the most disgusting we’ve seen in this lifetime.  This one is a kick in the teeth to every foundation this country is built on.  In one fell swoop, he’s managed to drop jaws across political party lines, the citizens who voted him into office and the general public as a whole. 

He was arrested and released on Tuesday after federal prosecutors accused him of a one man “political corruption crime spree”.   Some of these crimes he’s accused of includes threatening one of the country’s largest newspapers, Chicago Tribune, if it refused to fire writers who criticized him, as well as his redefinition of “pay to play” for politics.  He has been accused of giving jobs, political appointments and contracts for hefty price tags. This evidence has been gained via wiretaps on his home and office phones and it’s been said some of these conversations would fit nicely into any of the Godfather movies with “tough guy” talk and profanity.  He refers to political peers as “Candidate 1″, “Candidate 2″ and so.  Unfortunately, these candidates he refers to as considerations to fill the seat left vacant by Barack Obama have had to release statements that no one in public office should have ever have to make.  They’ve reiterated their respect for the political offices they hold and have stated not only did they have no idea of what the governor was doing, but they were as disappointed as the rest of the country.  None of those considered for this vacant post are suspected of participating in this political auction.  Now, though, instead of an immediate replacement being named, it appears as though a special election might be the only solution that’s fair and will renew the faith of the state’s voters. 

He’s also accused of complaining about his inability to make good money as governor and said he felt ’stuck’.  If you’re interested, he makes over $175,000 a year as governor.  He’s also overheard negotiating a position for his wife and stated he was looking for a gravy position where she could make at least “150 grand” a year.  He was lining the remainder of this golden brick road to cover him after he left office as governor.  When the pompous governor answered the door at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, his reply to the two FBI agents who’d announced they were there to arrest him was, “Is this a joke?”  That left it wide open - I don’t know if I’d have had enough self-discipline to keep from going into how the joke would ultimately be on him in ways he could never imagine.  I suppose that’s why I never considered that as a line of work.  It’s difficult, if not impossible, to bite my tongue. 

In the past two days, he’s vehemently asserted his refusal to step down as governor.  That’s been met with the state’s attorney releasing a statement that he didn’t have to, they were taking immediate steps to remove him from office.  So you see, if it was a joke, it’s clearly on Governor Blagojevich.

Once again, another of our illustrious politicians has managed to wrangle up a scandal or two. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This time, the winning state is Florida and the headline-making name is none other than Democrat Tim Mahoney.

Tim Mahoney has defended his actions of paying a woman he’d had an affair with. He says he did nothing illegal. I guess not. Most mistresses are accustomed to being “kept” and there’s nothing illegal about that. The bigger problem is his marriage and whether or not the Mrs. will allow him to continue breathing. Wouldn’t we just love to see one of these wives belly-up and demand a divorce? I would love to see one of them not stand by their husbands as he declares his unending love to “the woman who stood by me no matter what, who I have betrayed in the cruelest ways”, but instead, release her own statement along the lines of, “The arrogance and narcissistic nature of my husband has forced me to make a choice I never dreamed I’d have to. Because he can’t keep the pony in the

Tim Mahoney

barn, I have chosen to file for divorce.” I know we’ll never live to see a statement like that, but still, their passive and martyred natures are becoming tiresome. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making light of an incredible difficult position to find yourself in. I know how exhausting and hurtful it can be. And it does go back to these politicians becoming accustomed to people following around in their attempts to be helpful and providing every miniscule request they demand. And too, the wives, once they discover the infidelity, most likely ensure life becomes less than pleasant for these political figures - at least their personal lives at home that are never exposed in the media. That is probably the safest way to ensure it doesn’t become a bigger scandal - the wives probably inflict their cold shoulders and temper tantrums at the one place the media has no access to - which, of course, is their home.

The one winner in this scandal is the former aide whose bank account is now $121,000 to the good. Oh, and lest we forget, Tim Mahoney won his bid after his adamant insistences of returning “morals and family values” to politics. This, of course, was the same position that was open due to Mark Foley’s suggestive and what some insist were sexual text messages to young Washington male pages.

His declaration of having done nothing that violated his office or any laws might be true, but a wise man would think more of the long term consequences of the violations against these morals and family values he hung his promises from.

Need proof that the scandalous political cycle exists? This should provide it.

Since the announcement was made last week regarding the Democratic veep pick, Joseph Biden, we’ve all been wondering just who will John McCain choose as his running mate? What about former U.S. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson? We know that Joe Biden is a lawyer-turned-politician, and so is Thompson. After a brief run for the Republican ticket earlier this year, he announced in late January that he would be dropping out of the presidential race. I, for one, was disappointed. Since then, we’ve heard very little from the versatile Alabamian.

Thompson was admitted into Tennessee’s State Bar in late 1967. He wasted no time making a name for himself among the legal elite. He was a member of the Senate’s Watergate Committee during the scandal that helped define the 1970s and is credited for more than a few of the infamous (or not so infamous, depending on your stand) questions and statements that are in high school history books everywhere, including the question, “What did the president know and when did he know it?” during one of the hearings. After that, he continued his work as an attorney and specialized in white collar crimes in Washington DC.

His transition into politics was as smooth as his southern drawl. In fact, it was the defense he provided a parole board member in the late 1970s that paved the way. It was controversial, but Thompson was said to have stood strong, despite the evidence that included bribes, wrongful terminations and a multitude of other charges. In the end, his defense of Marie Ragghianti resulted in her employment being reinstated and back pay being awarded.

His lobbying efforts on controversial issues, including abortion, earned him respect in some circles and impressive salaries.

Even if one has no interest in politics, has no idea the differences between Democrats and Republicans and has no idea of what a “lobbyist” might be, odds are, everyone has seen his face and name across the opening credits of any of Dick Wolf’s Law & Order series. As you might expect, he plays the tough southern D.A., Arthur Branch. Political preferences are inferred in the Law & Order brand, but you know, or you’re at least pretty certain, that Jack McCoy is a Republican, Lennie Briscoe was most likely a Democrat and so on. But with this character Fred Thompson plays so well? You have no doubt whatsoever of his political affiliation. His quiet and slow demeanor while his A.D.A’s are fluttering about over some ruling they’ve just been handed lends a certain humor, and the less he says, the funnier it sometimes is.

Fred Thompson has been successful in his legal, political and acting careers. Some might say his most successful achievement is as a member of the legal community. Despite his being my favorite Law & Order character, I have to agree that a fine attorney would make an incredible vice president candidate. McCain and Thompson have a history together and looking at their past voting trends, you realize they would make a powerful run for the White House. Two attorneys running opposite campaigns with the same goal? Sounds like an election year to remember….provided John McCain agrees with my suggestions, of course.