Ulterior Motives

Make no mistake: when it comes to politics, the politics never ends. Case in point today comes from the Rod Blagojevich saga, where Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is appealing to the state Supreme Court to strip the embattled governor of most of his powers and award them to the Lieutenant Governor. My response is not to applaud Madigan, but simply to state that the 2010 campaign has apparently already started.

You see, for some time Ms. Madigan has coveted the governor's chair, and she now sees it within her reach. Madigan was likely going to primary challenge the unpopular Blagojevich before this scandal broke, and those plans obviously have not changed in the last week. Her posturing today should be viewed through the lens of someone trying to grab the headlines and advance her political career.

I have no question that this is a very unusual case, as Blagojevich is on tape hatching almost unbelievable and illegal schemes, yet he remains in office. But this is precisely why we have checks-and-balances and that device called "impeachment." It is up to the state legislature to remove an executive where it sees fit, and I am sure Springfield will move in that direction should the governor stay. Of course, it is within Madigan's legal rights to try to manuever and also make Blagojevich's life uncomfortable, but forgive me for thinking that she is using all of this to make a name for herself as a reformer.

And it's worked: she was all over the news today. Her credentials as a Chicago outsider are now burnished further. Not to mention that her long-running feud with the governor (her father, the State House Speaker is also a longtime foe of Blagojevich) can only help her make the case against Blago now. In the words of Sid Farkus, I think it's safe to say that barring a very unforeseen development, Lisa Madigan will be the next governor of Illinois. That's fine, and Blagojevich clearly needs to go, but I just can't impute the purest motives to her moves today. It just goes to show you that when it comes to government and elected officials, the politics never, ever ends.

And guess who's the guest on Meet the Press this weekend? Lisa Madigan.