Blagojevich convicted, ousted from office

Good riddance:

The Illinois Senate voted to remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office Thursday, marking the first time in the state's long history of political corruption that a chief executive has been impeached and convicted.

The 59-0 vote followed several hours of public deliberation in which senator after senator stood up to blast Blagojevich, whose tenure lasted six years. And it came after a four-day impeachment trial on allegations that Blagojevich abused his power and sold his office for personal and political benefit.

The conviction on a sweeping article of impeachment means the governor was immediately removed from office. The Senate also unanimously voted to impose the "political death penalty" on Blagojevich, banning him from ever again holding office in Illinois.

Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, Blagojevich's two-time running mate, has become the state's 41st governor.

What a relief. Finally, this joker, this farce of a leader, is out of power.

Ironically, Blagojevich's decision to defend himself on talk show after talk show made it all the easier for the Illinois Senate to unanimously vote to convict him. He's a laughingstock. A guy who either considers himself a saint or pretends as if he does. All that Blagojevich accomplished with his publicity blitz and talk show tour was to provide extra fodder for late night comedians.

For a month, he has been an entertaining distraction. Now his power is gone. He's just a citizen again. And before too long, he may be incarcerated.

As of this afternoon, Blagojevich's official website was still up, having yet to be replaced by that of Governor Pat Quinn's.