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| ="Chicago Tribune":2zfj4pyx]Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges.
Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. The governor was also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for other official actions.
Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning.
A Blagojevich spokesman said he was unaware of the development. "Haven't heard anything -- you are first to call," Lucio Guerrero said in an e-mail.
The stunning, early morning visit by authorities to the governor's North Side home came amid revelations that federal investigators had recorded the governor with the cooperation of a longtime confidant and had begun to focus on the possibility that the process of choosing a Senate successor to President-elect Barack Obama could be tainted by pay-to-play politics.
Blagojevich was taken into custody hours after the Tribune reported that the investigation into allegations of pay-to-play politics within his administration had been expanded to include his pending choice of a Senate replacement for Obama. The Democratic governor has said he expects to make a decision on the state's next senator in weeks.
Sources told the Tribune that investigators intensified their investigation into Blagojevich amid concerns that the process of choosing a new senator could be tainted. The actions by federal authorities came a day before Blagojevich's 52nd birthday.
The Tribune previously disclosed that federal investigators had recordings of Blagojevich. Those recordings were aided by the cooperation of longtime Blagojevich confidant and former congressional chief of staff John Wyma.
On Monday, Blagojevich said he has done nothing wrong in his stewardship of the state and challenged critics to record him because his discussions were "always lawful."[/quote:2zfj4pyx]
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Frayed Knot
Dec 09 2008 09:01 AM
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They arrest crooked politicians in Illinois?
I thought they just promoted them.
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soupcan
Dec 09 2008 09:02 AM
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That's a shame. Rod Blagojevich is a longtime family friend.
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Edgy DC
Dec 09 2008 09:04 AM
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"...challenged critics to record him..."
Ouch.
"I didn't say to start YET!"
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Benjamin Grimm
Dec 09 2008 09:07 AM
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How does he go about appointing a Senator now? Anyone he picks will automatically be tainted.
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sharpie
Dec 09 2008 09:15 AM
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Methinks the Lieutenant Governor gets to make the pick now.
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Fman99
Dec 09 2008 09:29 AM
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Heh heh, taint.
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metsguyinmichigan
Dec 09 2008 09:40 AM
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I think the PREVIOUS Illinois governor is STILL in jail.
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Edgy DC
Dec 09 2008 09:43 AM
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Two words. O. Prah.
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Valadius
Dec 09 2008 10:26 AM
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It's about damn time. He's the most crooked politician in the country.
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Fman99
Dec 09 2008 11:04 AM
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Illinois politics and corruption are like Forrest and Bubba.
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metsguyinmichigan
Dec 09 2008 11:06 AM
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="Fman99":13fm8uwf]Illinois politics and corruption are like Forrest and Bubba.[/quote:13fm8uwf]
Wonder what ties he has to Obama.
Since he's been under investgation for three years, you'd think an enterprising media outlet would have looked into this.
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Benjamin Grimm
Dec 09 2008 11:08 AM
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How much did they investigate Sarah Palin's ties to Ted Stevens?
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Edgy DC
Dec 09 2008 11:09 AM
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I'm sure plenty have and youtube is full of connections --- relevant or not --- right NOW!!!!
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Frayed Knot
Dec 09 2008 11:27 AM
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U.S. Atty: 'The level of corruption is staggering'
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soupcan
Dec 09 2008 11:45 AM
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Oof.
All from The New York Times:
| ]
Mr. Blagojevich (pronounced bluh-GOY-uh-vich) was heard on wiretaps over the last month planning to “sell or trade Illinois’
Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, called his sole authority to name Mr. Obama’s successor “golden,” and he sought to parlay it into a job as an ambassador or secretary of Health and Human Services, or a high-paying position at a nonprofit or an organization connected to labor unions, prosecutors said. He also suggested, they said, that in exchange for the Senate appointment, his wife could be placed on corporate boards where she might earn as much as $150,000 a year, and he tried to gain promises of money for his campaign fund.
Patrick Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, said that Mr. Blagojevich had gone on a “political corruption crime spree,” and that his actions had “taken us to a truly new low.”
“The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
According to the indictment, while talking on the telephone about the Senate seat replacement with his chief of staff and an adviser, Mr. Blagojevich said he needed to consider his family and their financial struggles. “I want to make money,” he said, according to prosecutors. He then added, they allege, that he wanted to make $250,000 to $300,000 a year.
Mr. Blagojevich even contemplated stepping into the Senate himself, prosecutors said.
“I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain,”
Mr. Blagojevich said he was approached by an associate of “Candidate 5” with an offer of $500,000 in exchange for the Senate seat. |
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Edgy DC
Dec 09 2008 11:49 AM
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Almost comical.
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Benjamin Grimm
Dec 09 2008 11:52 AM
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I think someone needs to find out who "Candidate 5" was.
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Edgy DC
Dec 09 2008 11:58 AM
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I think early money is on Illinois Senate President Emil Jones.
Some with ill wishes are rooting for Jesse Jr., but he shouldn't have to buy a political office.
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sharpie
Dec 09 2008 01:27 PM
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That makes 5 Illinois governors since the 1960s who were brought up on charges. Otto Kerner (D), Dan Walker (D) and George Ryan (R) went to jail. William Stratton (R) got off.
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Valadius
Dec 09 2008 01:58 PM
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Apparently a "Senate Candidate 5" was willing to pay $500,000 for the Senate seat. I would love to know who that is.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Dec 09 2008 02:22 PM
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Smoking Gun sez Emil Jones.
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seawolf17
Dec 09 2008 02:32 PM
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="Benjamin Grimm":2b2013x5]I think someone needs to find out who "Candidate 5" was.[/quote:2b2013x5]
Why, that's Eliot Spitzer!!
Oh, wait. Wrong numbered-person scandal.
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Frayed Knot
Dec 09 2008 02:44 PM
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Between all those governors, Dan Rostenkowski, Carole Mosley-Braun, and the whole Daley clan, it would be a wonder if Obama wasn't tainted somewhere along the way.
Or maybe he just wasn't there long enough.
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sharpie
Dec 09 2008 03:04 PM
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Speculation is that Rahm Emanuel dropped a dime on him because he was saying that in order to get an Obama-favored candidate he had to get a cabinet post or something.
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Benjamin Grimm
Dec 09 2008 03:20 PM
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Is this Candidate 5 trying to divert suspicion?
| ="Associated Press":200rfjqr]WASHINGTON - Democratic leaders in Washington and Illinois called on the Illinois legislature Tuesday to quickly schedule a special election to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat rather than leave that power in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's hands.
Blagojevich, a second-term Democrat, was arrested Tuesday in connection with allegations that he sought favors to influence his choice for Obama's replacement.
Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, who called the charges shocking, said he would call the chamber into session to pass a bill to establish a special election to fill the vacancy.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here
"The faith of the citizens of Illinois has once again been shaken," Jones said in a statement. "I will call the Senate back in to session to pass legislation that would create a special election for the U. S. Senate seat to help restore the confidence of the people of Illinois during this difficult time."
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., had earlier urged members of the state House and Senate to pass this type of legislation by a margin that could withstand a Blagojevich veto.
"No appointment by this governor, under these circumstances, could produce a credible replacement," Durbin, told reporters in Washington.
Durbin, the Senate's second-ranking Democratic leader, said his state faces a messy and uncertain future with Blagojevich holding the power to name someone to finish the last two years of Obama's term.
Special elections are costly, Durbin acknowledged, but it might be coupled with a special election that will be needed to replace Rep. Rahm Emanuel. The Chicago Democrat will resign his seat soon to become Obama's White House chief of staff.
The Constitution requires House vacancies to be filled by elections. Senate vacancies can be filled by appointment, and Illinois, like most states, gives the power to the governor.
Blagojevich must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, Durbin said, but if the charges against him are true, "he has clearly abused the public trust." He did not call for the governor to resign, citing the innocence presumption.
However, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said the legislature should begin impeachment proceedings if Blagojevich does not resign promptly.
Durbin said his relationship with the governor has been cordial but not close. Blagojevich waited 12 days to return Durbin's recent phone call requesting a discussion of the Obama vacancy, Durbin said. The two men discussed about 20 possible replacements, Durbin said, and Blagojevich made no hint that he was seeking payments or other favors in making his choice.
Durbin said Blagojevich's arrest should not cast a shadow over Obama's inauguration and early days as president because there was nothing improper in their relationship.
Durbin said he worried that Obama's former seat could remain vacant for months. With Senate Democrats only a few votes short of a filibuster-proof majority in the new Congress that will convene next month, a vacancy could make it harder to pass Obama-backed measures "during a critical period in American history," Durbin said.
The Senate could refuse to seat a person appointed by Blagojevich. Several would-be senators have been rejected that way, usually when their election was corrupted or deeply in question. The last appointed person to be refused a seat came from Alabama in 1913, when the Senate concluded the state legislature had not given the governor the power to fill a vacancy, said Senate associate historian Don Ritchie. [/quote:200rfjqr]
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Valadius
Dec 09 2008 04:58 PM
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If I had to guess, Candidate 5 is Rep. Danny K. Davis.
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metirish
Dec 10 2008 06:53 AM
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It's fascinating to read the tape transcripts , guys got a potty mouth and is arrogant beyond believe.
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Edgy DC
Dec 10 2008 07:17 AM
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Well, his arrogance isn't exactly something kept behind closed doors. Just the day before, he had insinuated himself into a union dispute by demanding Bank of America loan the company enough money to stay open --- or at least enough to cover the fired workers' severance packages --- by ordering the state of Illinois to otherwise stop doing business with BoA.
Now that we know he was looking for a possible retirement job on a union payroll, it contextualizes his gallantry a bit.
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Edgy DC
Dec 10 2008 07:24 AM
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He's mastered the Elliott Spitzer "governor in a bind swallows lips" pose.
<img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art4/1209081inside1.jpg">
Obama said he had no contact with the governor or his office about the Senate seat. "I was not aware of what was happening," he added.
The governor is trying to shake down your chief of staff to appoint a candidate favorable to you in exchange for a cushy appointment by you and he didn't fill you in? Maybe the feds asked that he keep the president-elect out of the loop.
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Valadius
Dec 10 2008 09:52 AM
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And Senate Candidate 5 turns out to be Jesse Jackson, Jr.
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Edgy DC
Dec 10 2008 09:53 AM
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Kaboom.
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Frayed Knot
Dec 10 2008 09:54 AM
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="Valadius":55gp9wrn]And Senate Candidate 5 turns out to be Jesse Jackson, Jr.[/quote:55gp9wrn]
Using money from dad's "charity" no doubt
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Nymr83
Dec 10 2008 12:52 PM
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not at all suprising considering who is father is.
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Edgy DC
Dec 17 2008 06:52 AM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 17 2008 08:56 AM
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So how about the tightrope Jesse Jr. is trying to walk.
He insists that he's not a target of the investigation, that he has cooperated, offering information voluntarily, but he bristles at being described as an "informant."
Is this a Lady Gregory play, where reporting a crime is worse than committing it?
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Valadius
Dec 17 2008 08:50 AM
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Jesse Jr. worked with the feds on an earlier part of their investigation into Blago.
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Edgy DC
Dec 17 2008 08:57 AM
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Which doesn't undercut the point.
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Benjamin Grimm
Dec 17 2008 02:54 PM
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Here's my evil plan to solve the immediate problem of the Senate seat, since it doesn't look like Blago will be removed from office any time soon...
He should ask the state legislature to vote to nominate a Senator, and he'll promise to appoint whoever they select.
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Benjamin Grimm
Dec 30 2008 10:58 AM
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It looks like Blagojevich is actually going to make a Senate appointment and announce it this afternoon.
He's ballsy, I'll give him that.
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Frayed Knot
Dec 30 2008 11:30 AM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 30 2008 11:49 AM
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Hope the nominee keeps the receipt.
Just, y'know, in case it doesn't work out and he wants his money back.
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Edgy DC
Dec 30 2008 11:36 AM
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<img src="http://www.jerzeyjen.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/339a8ade07871cc794dbed713b941460.jpg">
Whoda thunk it?
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Edgy DC
Dec 30 2008 05:31 PM
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Congressman Bobby Rush on the dais defending the appointment on the grounds that nobody should dare refuse to seat a black appointee. (He actually equated such an act with lynching.)
He sounded only semi-coherent, and I'm thinking, "This is who they got to push this thing through?"
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Nymr83
Dec 30 2008 07:54 PM
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he should not be seated on the basis of playing the race card on day one. but really blago could have appointed anyone and i'd say they shouldn't be seated.
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Benjamin Grimm
Dec 31 2008 07:07 AM
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The race aspect of this is ridiculous. They're saying, in essence, who cares if he was appointed by a corrupt governor under questionable circumstances? He's black, and the Senate needs a black guy!
I agree with Namor, Blago can't be allowed to appoint anyone.
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Edgy DC
Dec 31 2008 07:12 AM
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By "they," it's pretty much Rep. Rush so far.
It was a pretty surreal press conference.
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Frayed Knot
Dec 31 2008 07:23 AM
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Rush, it should be noted, is a former Black Panther.
He also is the one who beat Obama in the Prez-elect's first run for Congress.
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Edgy DC
Dec 31 2008 07:25 AM
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I'll be honest. He sounded like a drunk panther.
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Frayed Knot
Jan 29 2009 05:57 PM
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Yer out!!!!
Gov. Rod Blagojevich was thrown out of office Thursday without a single lawmaker rising in his defense, ending a nearly two-month crisis that erupted with his arrest on charges he tried to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. Blagojevich becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.
After a four-day trial, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict him of abuse of power, automatically ousting the second-term Democrat. In a second, identical vote, lawmakers further barred Blagojevich from ever holding public office in the state again.
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MFS62
Jan 29 2009 06:06 PM
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I see a made for tv movie coming.
Later
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metirish
Jan 29 2009 06:12 PM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 29 2009 06:51 PM
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But what about the little puppy he got for his kids......I'll say this for him , he's got some head of hair. I see a future as a pitch man.
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Willets Point
Jan 29 2009 06:49 PM
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="MFS62":1wb3948r]I see a made for tv movie coming.
[/quote:1wb3948r]
<i>Rod Blagojevich: A Man Devoid of Honor</i>
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themetfairy
Jan 29 2009 07:26 PM
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="Willets Point":35mju95h]="MFS62":35mju95h]I see a made for tv movie coming.
[/quote:35mju95h]
<i>Rod Blagojevich: A Man Devoid of Honor</i>[/quote:35mju95h]
ROFL!
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