Blagogotgamevich

Bravo, old blogoy, bravo! Hard not to smile about the most recent turn of events in Illinois. Rod's not so dumb after all, is he? Sure, he's a corrupt sonofabitch who oughta get run out on a rail, but on the way he's having a lot of fun at the expense of all those googoo Dems who have been sticking it to him over the last three weeks. There's something about his impish glee in the midst of shameless political brinksmanship that demands admiration.

Two aspects of this worthy of comment: First, this is tactically very smart, as others have noted. What Blago needs now is friends, and he may have just "bought" a few, including Bobby Rush. At the same time, he deflects attention just a bit from himself. It's a lot easier to oppose a Blago pick in the abstract than to deny a well-liked and respected member of the IL political establishment, and an African-American to boot. I think the Senate Dems will hold fast, but this pick makes that decision just a little tougher.

Second, what Dems have most lacked over the last decade or so, at least in comparison to the GOP, is an appreciation of political theatrics. Obama has brought some of that back, despite his desire to be "No Drama" Obama. But the Dems will be faced with a lot more from the congressional GOP over the next few years. Better get used to it now. Time to start working on their theatrics game, both offense and defense. Where better to start than an in-party dispute case where you've got the essentials on your side?