Tribune to Blago: Resign Already

It's not news that Rod Blagojevich has been a “governor who cannot govern,” writes the Chicago Tribune in a furious editorial, but any ability he did have to serve Illinois has been swept away by this indictment. “The governor must resign immediately,” the paper declares, or else face immediate impeachment. Thankfully, the powers-that-be agree; top state politicians are already calling for the governor's head.

The editorial board seconds the state attorney general's statement yesterday—“Our worst fears have been realized”—noting that worst nightmares have become all too common in Illinois. The state’s last governor, Republican George Ryan, is still in prison on a 2006 corruption conviction. Like Ryan, Blagojevich will get every opportunity to defend himself in court. “That doesn’t, though, mean Illinois should have to put up with him in office for one more day.” (More Chicago Tribune stories.)