Finally under the spotlight he craves, Blago tries to slip into shadows
We saw impeached Illinois Rod Blagojevich hit the morning talk-show circuit to maintain his innocence and promote himself. We watched Blago perform his version of stupid human tricks by appearing as a walking punch line for late-night comedians. We saw him send his wife off to eat a bug on reality TV. And we laughed or cringed as he performed an extended run playing the supporting role of a guy bested by Poison frontman Brett Michaels on "The Celebrity Apprentice."
You knew it was just a matter of time until his got his gig on a reality show. Monday, on the 25th floor of Chicago's Dirksen Federal Building, our disgraced governor hit the big time in a real courtroom drama.
While his star vehicle is officially titled "U.S. vs. Blagojevich," all the members of the legal production have pet names for the show. Prosecutors call it "What About Me?" arguing that Blagojevich always asked how he would profit before he did any state business. Defense attorneys call it "Not A Dime," countering that Blagojevich can't be a crook if he never took any money and is broke now.
As reality programming goes, this one has high stakes. If Team Blago wins, Blagojevich gets back his life and a chance to regain his reputation and maybe even his political career. If the U.S. Attorney wins, Blagojevich gets an all-expenses-paid trip to a federal penitentiary.
The pilot episode began with prosecutor Carrie E. Hamilton vowing to show Blagojevich as a crook who committed "a series of illegal shakedowns."
"On the North Side of Chicago there is a hospital called Children's Memorial Hospital," Hamilton began in a calm, soothing voice as if she were reading a fairy tale to children. Then she unmasked Blagojevich as the villain who demanded a campaign donation from a hospital official before he'd get the hospital needed funding. Whether it was the tollway, race tracks or the vacant U.S. Senate seat Blagojevich classified as "(expletive) golden," the ex-governor always wanted to get more money, which led to more political power, Hamilton said.
"That man there is as honest as the day is long," countered defense attorney Sam Adam Jr., referring to Blagojevich. In a speech that shook the rafters with fury, tiptoed close to a whisper and included outrage and humor, Adam claimed Blagojevich was the victim of a misguided and botched government investigation.
"The same people chasing bin Laden were chasing him," Adam noted.
While promising that Blago and his wife, Patti, would testify during the trial, Adam tried to turn them both into bit players in the prosecution's corruption storyline.
Prosecutors said Blagojevich schemed with campaign staffers and fundraisers in plots to trade state business for campaign donations, future jobs and ill-gotten gains. Adam said Blagojevich's only crime was trusting too much in political pals such as Lon Monk and Tony Rezko, who already have pleaded guilty and are set to testify against the former governor.
"The governor made a mistake. The governor's judgment is horrible," Adam said, arguing that Blagojevich "was fooled, absolutely fooled" by the real crooks.
The opening episode was entertaining and even had brief cameo appearances from noted columnist and author Jimmy Breslin, who is writing a book about the Blagojevich trial, and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who quietly slipped into a back bench among the audience listening in the overflow courtroom.
But the previews of the coming days sound even better. Adam teased with his admission that there would be evidence Blagojevich had cheated on Patti, letting reporters scribble away until he explained that Blago's "mistress" was the Chicago Cubs.
Courtroom watchers were told that Blagojevich pondered the possibility of "Senator Oprah," took a phone call from ex-Cubs skipper Dusty Baker and would annoy everyone from attorneys to his own brother with his frequent phone calls.
"He's probably one of the most insecure men you are ever going to see," Adam said of his client.
Prosecutors are scheduled to begin their evidence against Blagojevich today. The soap opera is expected to run for weeks.
"I may not have hit everything, ladies and gentlemen," Adam told the jury, "but we've got a long time to be together."