Lisa Madigan And Her Self-Serving Agenda

LATimes.com:

The Illinois attorney general today asked the state's top judges to strip Gov. Rod Blagojevich of any government powers, saying corruption charges make it impossible for him to serve.

At a televised news conference, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan said her office had asked the state Supreme Court to grant a temporary restraining order, the first step in a lawsuit. She said the court cannot remove Blagojevich from office, which requires action by the Legislature, but it can decide that he is unable to serve and that the lieutenant governor should exercise the powers of the state's chief executive.

"The impeachment process will take time," she told reporters. "In the interim, state government is paralyzed by a governor who is incapable of governing. "The Illinois Constitution gives the Illinois Supreme Court the ability to determine whether the governor has the ability to serve," she argued. It was unclear when the court would issue a ruling on Madigan's request, but she said she hoped it would be within five to 10 days. The state Legislature is scheduled to meet next week, but impeachment proceedings could take weeks.

Madigan may've played her hand too early here. We still don't know whether or not Blagojevich actually committed a federal crime and it's no secret that not only does Madigan have desires on being governor of Illinois herself, but she's long had contempt for Blagojevich as well. Plus how does it look to clear a man "unable to serve" when he's still signing bills into law? There isn't a shrink in the world who would find Blago suddenly unable to serve...I mean Bill Clinton once showed us all that he had the ability to continue his presidential duties even with a big ole' Impeachment cloud hanging over his head. Impeachment is the constitutional mechanism for removing the governor, unless Blago resigns, that is the appropriate process. If I were Blagojevich, Madigan going to the courts to kick me out would motivate me to stick around a little longer just out of spite.