High court doesn't have a role in this

As readers of this space the last several days know, we're as exasperated as anyone by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the cloud that hovers over him and the embarrassment he has brought Illinois.

Since the voluminous and coarse details of the criminal complaint against him were released on Tuesday, we have said repeatedly that we believe he should resign - for his sake as well as the sake of Illinois.

And if he doesn't, we believe state legislators should bring impeachment proceedings against him.

As of this writing, it remains up in the air whether Blagojevich will resign. But there seems little doubt that the General Assembly will move on impeachment as early as Monday and attempt to expedite the process as much as possible.

It seems obvious that is the appropriate venue for the fight to remove him from office.

Unfortunately, the salaciousness of this appalling scandal has given it a surreal quality from the moment it exploded Tuesday morning, and in that atmosphere, it is difficult at times for cooler heads to prevail and the obvious isn't always as apparent as it should be.

We believe that Attorney General Lisa Madigan means well in her request that the Illinois Supreme Court remove Blagojevich, at least temporarily, on the grounds that he can "no longer fulfill his official duties with any legitimacy."

Given the damaging transcripts that strongly incriminate Blagojevich, many of us, like Madigan, are frustrated that the mechanics of impeachment mean the process most likely would be protracted.

But let's take a breath here and fight the reflex to give in to a mob mentality. While it may be unpopular to observe, Blagojevich deserves due process, just as everyone does.

Most importantly, we believe it would be downright dangerous to the republic to expand the legal definition of "unable to fulfill his duties" to include subjective assessments of credibility, public support and moral character.

The role of the Supreme Court in this regard is, as it should be, narrow: Has illness or disability left an office holder incapacitated?

That and nothing more.

Blagojevich can still function. He showed that Friday when he signed legislation guaranteeing insurance coverage for those with autism.

And to the real fear here - that Blagojevich would try to appoint someone or himself to Illinois' vacant Senate seat - we think it's highly unlikely he would do so in this charged atmosphere. And if he did make the attempt, the matter could be litigated then.

We're no fans of Blagojevich, but we are fans of representative democracy. We hope the high court declines to consider Madigan's request.