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SEIFFE:  A Cynic Looks At The Blago Bust

Thursday, December 11, 2008 

By Ralf Seiffe

As a long time observer of Illinois’ political corruption and the federal law enforcement establishment that exists in the Dirksen Federal Building, Tuesday’s arrest of Governor Blagojevich seems a little odd. The cynic in me wants a better explanation and, until one is forthcoming, I have come to speculate that the reality of the event is far from what it appears.

The first suspicious item is the very speed with which the U.S. Attorney acted.  Usually, it seems that they sit on cases, sometimes until the statute of limitations has nearly run its course, to make sure that the crimes they are investigating have ripened.  Remember the George Ryan case and the time between the inciting incident with the Willis children and the date of the actual indictment.  In contrast, and according to the information released on the day of the arrest, some elements of the crime the governor faces were less than a week old and only related to the alleged sale of the senate seat. 

Then there is the question of what might have happened if one of the senate “candidates” had actually paid Blagojevich his price for the nomination.  As a public policy question, wouldn’t letting another week pass to have the miscreant revel himself be better?  Just think about the publicity value of busting both the seller--Blago--and the buyer—now unknown—actually consummating the act with money changing hands?  The public would have benefited by the visible destruction of the crooked briber, too.  Now, there will always be a doubt as to the identity and motives of those connected with this sordid event.

Next, there is Blago’s behavior.  The pundits point out that he should have known better; that he knew he was under federal investigation by a US Attorney known for equal opportunity, successful prosecutions.  The press and the radio are now full of psychiatrists appearing to opine on the governor’s mental health, identifying all manner of possible disease from narcissism to borderline personality problems to worse.  One wonders how such an impaired governor could function for the five years he’s served.  Is it some synapse that has short-circuited since election night?

But what bothers me most is the governor’s expletive-laden tirade against his once good friend, the president-elect.  As much as the transcripts damn Blagojevich, they tend to exculpate Mr. Obama.  Indeed, the natural assumption is that the “Chicago Way” was a contagion that would infect all involved but, the transcripts were quickly trotted out to excuse Obama. 

This all seems a little contrived.  US Attorney Fitzgerald tells us his department acted to stop an ongoing, political “crime spree” and there is no reason to doubt that.  Nevertheless, such dispatch seems to cut against the professional deliberateness that the US Attorney’s office usually projects.  The consequence, or benefit to those who are not yet named (and may still be), is that the US Attorney’s quick action saves them from exposing themselves and, while one would wish that all criminals received such prompt attention, this one case that should have been allowed to play out.

So, the cynic in me wonders if this bust was not so much about Blago than it was to protect someone who was on the verge of joining the conspiracy.  After all, it is conventional wisdom that Blago has been scheming for years and, if the transcripts released on Tuesday are representative of the governor’s nature, the feds must have a full lexicon of creative expletives and the schemes that go with them.  Why leapfrog and ignore those charges which should be adequate to convict and, at the same time, squander the opportunity to bust some crooked Illinois senator wannabe?   

It’s possible that Blago is suffering from some form of mental distress; disease might explain why he behaved so blatantly despite knowing the feds were on his tail. If so, he should expect the public’s understanding and mitigation at trial.  On the other hand, what if this ultra-quick bust was cleared specifically to expose the tirade against his one-time friend, because it so conveniently disassociates the president-elect from the “Chicago Way”? We have already seen the Obama camp backtracking from their claim that Obama had talked to Blago about this choice yet why would the governor have reason to curse his friend unless they had discussed the matter?. 

Ralf Seiffe advises business start-ups and product launches from Chicago, Illinois and is a political analyst and columnist for the Illinois Leader and Illinois Review.

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