Friday, December 12, 2008

A Wire Tap on a Governors Phone?!?!?!

While I enjoyed this actually sort of humorous piece in the Trib the other day, I think it missed the over all point.
When news broke that Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly got busted on tape gabbing about various shakedown schemes, you had to wonder, hasn't he ever seen "The Sopranos"? How could he ignore the lessons of TV crime shows? Everybody knows:

1. Never talk "business" on your home or office phone. Ever. There was a reason Tony Soprano had his underlings use pay phones. And considering that the feds have been on his heels since 2003, perhaps the governor should have known better.
Okay as for point #1... very true.  Never talk business on the phone.  But Tony and company always worked under the assumption that they were being listened to by the Feds.  Blago had no reason to think this because, you know, getting a wire tap on a governor's phone is unheard of in this country.

I mean that's something that you only seen in bad summer blockbuster movies or the next John Grisham novel.  This never ever happens in real life--a wire tap on the governor's phone.  It still amazes me.

This Blago stuff is one of the most amazing stories, frankly, ever in American politics. Attempting to get writers fired from the Chicago Tribune, selling the Senate seat, shamlessly trying to extort money from a children's hospital... I mean, it's all stranger than fiction.  Disgusting... and absolutely hilarious in that 21st century ironic kind of way.

Oh and to Cliff Schecter of the Guaridan who asked "Where the hell is Eliot Ness when you need him?"  His name is Patrick Fitzgerald and he has been doing his job quite well.  

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