The scandal swirls around, and I think none of us know where it will all wind up – though I think it now very unwise that we elected someone from this political sewer known as Chicago:
As Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to pick Illinois’ next U.S. senator, businessmen with ties to both the governor and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. discussed raising at least $1 million for Blagojevich’s campaign as a way to encourage him to pick Jackson for the job, the Tribune has learned.
Blagojevich made an appearance at an Oct. 31 luncheon meeting at the India House restaurant in Schaumburg sponsored by Oak Brook businessman Raghuveer Nayak, a major Blagojevich supporter who also has fundraising and business ties to the Jackson family, according to several attendees and public records.
Two businessmen who attended the meeting and spoke to the Tribune on the condition of anonymity said that Nayak and Blagojevich aide Rajinder Bedi privately told many of the more than two dozen attendees the fundraising effort was aimed at supporting Jackson’s bid for the Senate.
I had been thinking that Rep. Jackson was a bit of an innocent bystander in this, but now I’m coming ’round to the view that we should consider everyone even remotely connected with Blago to be under a cloud until the whole thing is cleared up. At bottom, a lot of people should be resigning their positions, starting with Blago, but including anyone who was involved in picking or canvassing for the next Senator from Illinois. We can’t afford to have such people close to the seat of power, and we can’t rely upon basic decency for those who are deep in this corruption.
UPDATE: Iowahawk strikes again (language warning):
Blogs For Victory 