Embattled Illinois Governor Blagojevich made headlines around the world when he defied public opinion and the opinions of both his state government and the U.S. Senate itself when he appointed someone to the Senate seat that he was accused of trying to sell for profit.
And yet, he had every right to do so, and it will more than likely be upheld by the courts.
Blagojevich has not been stood up in front of a jury and been pronounced guilty; nor has the Illinois legislature voted on any measure to impeach the governor. If they wanted to prevent this end, they should have impeached Blagojevich immediately so as to strip him of the power to appoint a successor. They didn't do that, so the Illinois secretary of state is obligated to certify the appointment and issue the appropriate credentials for the new junior Senator from Illinois.
I don't have an opinion on the nominee; he's not been accused of anything wrong and he is qualified under Constitutional guidelines.
It's troubling to see the government trying to circumvent the Constitution and ignoring the fact that this governor is innocent until found guilty. And as much as I'm enjoying the spectacle, I hope it doesn't drag on. The Constitution has already been shot full of holes; we don't need one of the fundamental aspects of Constitutional protections on due process to be weakened any further.
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