Elected on a call for reform, defiant to the end, now jobless

SPRINGFIELD - It was just six years ago that Rod Blagojevich boarded a train at Chicago's Union Station, embarking on a whistle-stop tour as his message of reform propelled him toward the Capitol and inauguration.

Huge crowds swarmed the ceremonial balls that followed his swearing-in as the state bid farewell to the corruption-plagued regime of Republican Gov. George Ryan and welcomed Blagojevich's mantra of "no more business as usual."

Thursday, not a single person remained to defend him in the Illinois Senate, once his closest collection of political allies, as senators voted unanimously to kick him out of office and bar him from ever holding any elected post again.

The overwhelming vote cast aside Blagojevich's emotional 45-minute plea to keep his job and save his dignity, telling the Senate he'll ultimately be vindicated and urging senators to "imagine yourself in my place."

Now, Pat Quinn is governor, having taken the oath shortly after the vote to remove and disqualify Blagojevich.

A look back reveals Blagojevich began ruffling political feathers almost immediately upon taking office in 2003. He repeatedly cast lawmakers as free-spending protectors of special interests and further garnered their wrath by rarely coming to Springfield but frequently calling special sessions to keep them there.

And within a year, his administration was being probed for its hiring and contracting practices. Throughout it all, he claimed to have done nothing wrong.

But Blagojevich's political goose was cooked Dec. 9, when federal authorities arrested him and charged the prolific fundraiser with trying to sell President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat and rushing to shake down state vendors and businesses to fatten his war chest before a new ethics law took effect.

The arrest revealed a sweeping federal investigation of his office dating back years and showed that many of his phones and those of top aides and associates had been tapped. That investigation continues.

Myriad state and national officials, including President Obama, called for him to resign, but the governor vowed to "fight until I take my last breath."

Almost immediately, state lawmakers launched an impeachment investigation, headlined by the sensational federal charges but underscored by repeated instances of Blagojevich spending millions in taxpayer dollars without ever getting the General Assembly's approval. The total package was put into one impeachment article alleging a "pattern of abuse of power." The Illinois House voted 117-1 earlier this month to impeach Blagojevich and sent the case onto the Senate for a trial.

Blagojevich boycotted those proceedings, calling them unfair and a sham. Instead he spent the past week network-hopping in New York, appearing on news and morning shows, saying the "fix" was in back in Springfield.

But with the Senate wrapping up his trial, Blagojevich filed an 11th-hour request to make one final appeal to members, though he was not sworn in and did not take questions. He never did submit any evidence to refute the case against him.

In a roughly 45-minute speech that amounted to his final official performance as governor, Blagojevich simultaneously attacked his accusers and asked for their sympathy.

At times, his voice rose in anger as he suggested he was being railroaded out of office for nothing more than trying to get discount prescription drugs for seniors and health care for children and working-class families.

If they were going to convict him for that, Blagojevich said, senators should go after a slew of national politicians too, including everyone from Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain, because he said they had some part in or agreed with programs for which he's now being criticized.

He also questioned on whose authority they would so quickly undo the actions of voters who twice put him in the governor's office.

"There is no evidence before your body here - no evidence, zero - that shows there was any wrongdoing by me," Blagojevich said, standing at a podium facing the 59 senators in the ornate chamber. "You are not supposed to throw the will of the people out, unless you show wrongdoing."

Ironically, after lawmakers heard for a second time wiretap tapes that reveal the governor plotting to strong-arm a racetrack owner for a campaign contribution, Blagojevich - first elected as a self-declared reformer - said it was nothing illegal, just politics as usual.

"Those conversations are related to things all of us do in politics," Blagojevich said as he scanned the assembled lawmakers.

And then he was gone, casting a wink toward reporters in the press box as he left the Senate chamber. He did not stay for the vote, choosing to use the state plane to fly home while it was still at his disposal. A spokesman predicted Blagojevich would be somewhere "over Bloomington" before lawmakers began deliberating.

Impeachment prosecutor David Ellis launched a spirited, eight-minute rebuttal saying Blagojevich offered no defense and instead complained about how unfair the process was to him.

"All he talks about is himself. What about the people of this state?" Ellis asked.

"I think the people of this state have had enough. They are looking to you now and they want to know, 'Is today going to be more of the same or is today going to be a new era in this state?'" Ellis said. "The people want to know, 'Are we finally going to turn the page?'"

Senators said they tired of Blagojevich's defiant attitude in the weeks after his arrest and heard nothing new from him Thursday.

"He reminded us today in real detail that he is an unusually good liar," said state Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican. "He came down here with impunity and lied to every member of this chamber."

Back home in Chicago, no longer governor, Blagojevich still seemed every bit the politician.

After his streetside news conference outside his home, Blagojevich waded into a small crowd of supporters, hugging some, shaking hands, greeting children, and inviting neighbors to stop by his home.

"Keep fighting, Rod," someone in the crowd yelled.

"I will," he called back. "We're not done yet."

• Daily Herald staff writer Robert McCoppin contributed to this report.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.ilga.gov/senate/audvid.asp">State video stream of the impeachment trial</a></li> <li><a href="http://video.ap.org/?pid=R9msqOsYZ2TmkWttgWjBgV72_tYSs_Oh&f=ILARL">AP stream of impeachment trial</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/packages/2008/blagojevich/">Daily Herald's complete coverage of the impeachment</a></li> </ul> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=268061">Images from Blagojevich at trial </a></li> </ul> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=video&item=62">Blagojevich speaks to media, neighbors</a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=video&item=61">Patrick Quinn sworn in as governor </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=video&item=53">Clip of Blago's statement before Senate </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=video&item=53">Clip of Blago's statement before Senate </a></li> </ul> <h2>Audio</h2> <ul class="audio"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=35">Blagojevich Tape 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=36">Blagojevich Tape 2 </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=37">Blagojevich Tape 3 </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=4&type=audio&item=38">Blagojevich Tape 4 </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 1.pdf">Transcript of tape 1 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 2.pdf">Transcript of tape 2 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 3.pdf">Transcript of tape 3 </a></li> <li><a href="/pdf/tape 4.pdf">Transcript of tape 4 </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>