If the Democratic party is so worried about losing Obama's Senate seat to a Republican on account of Illinois voters being tired of the corruption that is so very evident in the Illinois Democratic party why doesnt Eric Holder light a fire under someone's ass at the DOJ and get charges filed against the former governor for any one of the charges mentioned. This will send a clear sign to voters that we acknowledge that corruption has happened but we are going to deal with it harshly. I am an outsider to Chicago politics but from where I am sitting it appears to me that Blagojevich is getting a pass. Why are ordinary Americans going to jail for nickle and dime offenses while this disgrace of a politician is allowed to parade himself all over network television. Anyone want to take odds as to how long it takes Trump to say those words that the Governor is so accustomed to hearing...You're Fired

2. The US government really has to start taking leaks more seriously. Obama getting mad and then sending Gibbs to tell the press how mad he is every single time national security information appears in the New York Times really isnt cutting it. Don't get me wrong, I think that there are several cases in American history where members of the government felt that those in power were betraying their responsibility to protect Americans and our core values and felt the need to break the law by leaking certain information in order to promote a national debate. Examples include the Pentagon Papers that revealed the Defense Department's own skepticism over its ability to achieve victory in Vietnam, the revelation of secret black prisons throughout the world used by the Bush administration to harshly interrogate terrorist suspects off the books, as well as the highly illigal warrantless wiretapping activities again conducted by the Bush administration. These are all things that I feel the American public deserved to know about and I applaud the bravery of those who leaked the information.

The type of leaking that I so strongly object to is the publication of draft reports and communications between high ranking officials. These leaks paint incomplete pictures of the inner workings of our government and provide our enemies with ample fodder for propoganda. The two worst instances of this occurred at the end of 2009 with the release of two private cables written by US Ambassador to Afghanistan General Eikenberry and US Commander General McCrystal. These leaks not only showed our hand to the insurgents currently fighting our soldiers in Afghanistan but also blatently showed President Karzai that his supposed partners in building Afghanistan (the U.S.) had little to no faith in him. General McCrystal's report was in draft form and had not yet been reviewed by Admiral Mullen or Secretary Gates. The leaking of this report started the national debate on the way forward in Afghanistan well before any one in the know was prepared for such a discussion. Who knows what effect this leak ultimately had on the final strategy announced by President Obama at West Point.

The US government needs to start taking these leaks more seriously and devote more energy to investigating and persecuting the leakers. It is not acceptable to consider national security leaks as par for the course. These people are jeoporidizing the very ability of our government to function. I am not saying we should start bugging the phones of reporters but some investigation needs to be done. The bottom line is that if people within our government feel so strongly that some piece of information needs to be made public for the very good of the country then their conviction should be strong enough to risk spending some time in jail.

And that's my fifty cents (inflation...)