Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Blago the Only Rat Paying the Piper

'Chicago punk,' sure, but ever heard of Bush, Rumsfeld, Lay, Rubin?

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 14, 2008 1:18 PM CST

(Newser) – Poor Rod Blagojevich: He merely tried to auction off the president-elect’s Senate seat and could be imprisoned for it. But the men who bungled Iraq and crashed our economy can anticipate vacations and White House jobs, Frank Rich writes in the New York Times. Luckily for us, Blagojevich “gift-wraps the ugliness of corruption in the mirthful garb of farce.”

Professional goofs like former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Enron titan Ken Lay, and Cheney aide Scooter Libby mimicked President Bush, “the Forrest Gump of his own White House” who refuses to take responsibility for his blunders. Their latest successor is “national whipping boy” Blagojevich, Rich writes, “the one betrayer of the public trust who could actually end up paying for his behavior.”

[Images (7)]

[Quotes (3)]

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich leaves a downtown building where a high profile attorney has an office Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich departs his Chicago home carrying a folder labeled "Health/Capital/Budget," Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich departs his home in Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

"It’s a sad snapshot of our century’s establishment that [Robert] Rubin has been an economic adviser to Barack Obama," Frank Rich writes. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, file)

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich "is the perfect holiday treat for a country fighting off depression," Frank Rich writes. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested this week on federal charges that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Gov. Rod Blagojevich discusses his plans for filling President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 in Chicago. Any number of statewide elected officials also could get the nod, ranging... (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Donald Rumsfeld's famous excuse for his failure to secure post-invasion Iraq, 'Stuff happens,' could be the epitaph of our age. - Frank Rich, the New York Times

Those who promoted the twin catastrophes of reckless war in Iraq and reckless gambling in our markets have escaped the accountability that now seems to await the Chicago punk nabbed by US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. - Frank Rich

After a while they all start to sound like OJ Simpson, who when at last held accountable for some of his behavior told a Las Vegas judge this month, 'In no way did I mean to hurt anybody.'
- Frank Rich, the New York Times, on failed public and private sector leaders

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Blago Seeks Prison Rehab

Ex-gov granted extra month of freedom

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich is seeking to join a substance abuse program in federal prison, but some suspect the disgraced former Illinois governor is trying to shave time off his sentence rather than deal with a genuine drug or alcohol problem. Under federal guidelines, Blagojevich is likely to serve just under 12 years on his 14-year sentence for corruption. That could be cut to 11 years if he completes the nine-month substance abuse program. He would also be eligible to spend his last six months in a halfway house. The bar for entry into the program is set pretty low: Prison officials say that somebody who consumed as little as five drinks a week could qualify, the Chicago Tribune finds. More»

For Blago, 71 Days of Freedom Left

And no pension, to boot

(NEWSER) - Gone was the defiant Rod Blagojevich who protested his innocence , promised a comeback , and called himself "frankly … stunned" at his guilty verdict: The Blago on display yesterday at his sentencing was apologetic and emotional, but he was sentenced to 14 years for corruption nonetheless. Now he has just 71 days of freedom before going away for at least 12 years, the earliest point at which he will be eligible for early release. The disgraced ex-governor, who turns 55 Saturday, will get one last birthday and Christmas with wife Patti and daughters Amy, 15, and Annie, 8, before reporting to prison Feb. 16 to share a cell and work a menial job for 12 cents per hour. More»

Blagojevich Gets 14 Years

Former Illinois governor sentenced for corruption

(AP) - Rod Blagojevich, the ousted Illinois governor whose three-year battle against criminal charges became a national spectacle, was sentenced to 14 years in prison today, one of the stiffest penalties imposed for corruption in a state with a history of crooked politics. "When it is the governor who goes bad the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily repaired," said Judge James Zagel. Blagojevich's 18 convictions included trying to leverage his power to appoint someone to President Obama's vacated Senate seat in exchange for campaign cash or a high-paying job. More»

Blagojevich Guilty on 17 of 20 Charges

Could be facing some pretty serious jail time

(NEWSER) - Turns out Rod Blagejevich was right that President Obama's old Senate seat was worth something: A whole bunch of jail time. A jury today convicted Blago on 17 of 20 charges after deliberating for nine days. Blagojevich showed little emotion after the verdicts were read, notes the Chicago Tribune, but turned simply to his wife and whispered, "I love you." The former governor faced up to 350 years behind bars if convicted on all charges; however, sentencing guidelines would result in less time. More»

Blagojevich: 'F***ing Golden' Remark Was 'War-Gaming'

Ex-gov is less than crystal clear in his testimony

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich finally got a chance to explain his infamous description of Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat as "f---ing golden" but he did a pretty poor job of it. "I'm afraid to answer this, but I'm not quite sure how to answer it," the former Illinois governor told his corruption retrial when his attorney asked him to explain the statement. "I was saying this opportunity is f---ing golden, that's what I was saying," he said, after a pause. "I knew it was a unique opportunity." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Blago the Only Rat Paying the Piper