Machine Hackery

Have you followed the fight between Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his father-in-law, Richard "Hack Alderman" Mell? It seems that "Papa" Mell is none to pleased that his daughter's spouse stopped a Mell-cousin from dumping trash in a quarry. This will cost the cousin, Frank Schmidt, a lot of money. He won't be able to dump environmentally unfriendly trash in this landfill anymore. Dumping elsewhere costs more money, see.

Governor Blago is standing his ground despite the feud it's created with his father-in-law, a man "who raised funds and twisted political arms for Blagojevich in successive races for the Illinois General Assembly, the U.S. House and the governor's office."

Now, let's take a step back. What do we know about Blago? He wants to be president (he has the hair for it). Blago is the most powerful politician in Illinois (Mayor Daley is a special case all to himself), so the next step for him is the White House.

What? You say Barack Obama is the most powerful politician in Illinois? By jove, you're right! With the 2008 election already underway, Blago needs a way to take the spotlight back from Obama. Hmm....

Hey! Here's an idea! How about Blago takes a position that is anti-clout, anti-corruption, pro-environment and anti-nepotism. That's great stuff if you want to show the public that you aren't just "Papa's" nice little tuft of electable hair. Hell! He can even go so far in this one stroke to separate himself from "Papa" and stand before you as "his own man."

Don't believe this feud crap for a minute. This more scripted than the WWF. What's even better is that the political establishment in Illinois is gearing up to knock this bum off. Lisa Madigan, our attorney general, will likely challenge him in the primary. There could be others. If Blago doesn't survive that, we'll never hear his name again.

One can only hope.