Illinois Supreme Court Will Not Remove Rod Blagojevich

NYTimes.com:

Any prospect that the saga over Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich’s contested hold on power might end swiftly evaporated on Wednesday when the State Supreme Court refused to hear a request to remove him, and Mr. Blagojevich’s lawyer made it clear at an impeachment inquiry here that the governor had no intention of going quietly.

Without comment, the court denied an emergency request from Lisa Madigan, the state’s attorney general, to consider removing Mr. Blagojevich from office as well as a motion for a temporary restraining order that would have immediately stripped Mr. Blagojevich of many of his powers, including the authority to appoint someone to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

The ruling stirred consternation among some lawmakers here, many of whom had seen the request to the court as the fastest, straightest route to Mr. Blagojevich’s departure, even if a bit of a long shot.

Good. Madigan's attempt to get the governor ousted was nothing more than a weak, vindictive move by an attorney general whose long disliked Blagojevich. In fact Madigan's well-known desire to one day be governor herself presents a clear conflict of interest that should force Madigan to remove herself from this entire matter. As we're seeing with Obama pal Jesse Jackson Jr. proving to be a snitch for the Feds and Rahm Emanuel, Barack's new chief-of-staff, having had multiple talks with Blago about Obama's Senate seat, this scandal is just opening up as Inauguration Day inches closer and closer. Barack certainly doesn't want this mess still hanging over his head when he starts his presidency. Bottom line, Rod Blagojevich is being scapegoated to protect Barack Obama from the stink of corruption that's long festered in the president-elect's home town and state. And that's why Blagojevich needs continue to fight these allegations and not resign.