Pelosi Open to Prosecuting Bushies

Back then, he was 'honing his craft:' Powell

(NEWSER) - Rod Blagojevich’s media blitz during his impeachment trial puzzled many, but not his best college bud. “Rod wanted to be Barack, and has been driven to distraction by the press’s fawning over him,” Bill Powell tells Men’s Journal. He recalls college-age Blago, a youthful prankster who—even then—had a passion for his hair, and for outfoxing others. More»

Blagojevich sees himself as a martyr as impeachment trial begins

(NEWSER) - Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich considers himself in the same company as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, and Mahatma Gandhi, reports the Chicago Tribune. With his impeachment trial in the Illinois state Senate set to begin today, Blagojevich, accused of plotting to sell President Obama's Senate seat, is amping up the martyr talk in an interview taped for the Today show this morning. More»

Impeached governor plans to fight to the end, but won't appear at Senate trial

(NEWSER) - Say this for Rod Blagojevich: He doesn’t embarrass easily. In an interview yesterday with the AP, he compared his arrest to Pearl Harbor: “Dec. 9 to my family, to us, to me, is what Pearl Harbor Day was to the United States. It was a complete surprise, completely unexpected. And just like the United States prevailed in that, we’ll prevail in this.” More»

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid called Rod Blagojevich after the election, but before the governor’s arrest, to discourage him from appointing unelectable candidates to Barack Obama’s Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Senate majority leader sought to put the kibosh on Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, along with State Senate President Emil Jones. Reid suggested state AG Lisa Madigan or Illinois' veterans affairs chief Tammy Duckworth. More»

No end to antics for Governor Dead Meat

(NEWSER) - Covering Rod Blagojevich—aka “Gov. Dead Meat”—has been so much fun for Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass that in today’s mailbag column, a reader asks how much he’s paying Blago for the “gift that keeps on giving.” Kass’ reply: “As our esteemed governor famously said, this thing is ‘bleeping golden.’” But Blago isn’t just a gift for Kass, he’s a gift for America, which finally gets a look at the Illinois political machine. More»