Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's (D) arrest for a "political corruption crime spree" allegedly including trying to sell the soon to be vacant senate seat of Senator/President-elect Barack H. Obama (D) and paying to play for a chance at the city, county and state business follows a long history of "staggering corruption" in Chicago, Cook County (which the city dominates) and Illinois.

Eliminating the endemic corruption for a "change you can believe in"? Great if it can ever be done but at present it is the lifeblood of their politics, present at creation. Listen  to the late Chicago Alderman Paddy Bauler (1890-1977), a friend of then Mayor Richard J. Daley (yes, that's right, the current Mayor Richard M. Daley's father) speaking in the early 50s, as quoted by then Chicago Sun Times columnist Bill Brasher.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of sifting through the artifacts of the late Paddy Bauler, the 43rd Ward's roly-poly, beer-guzzling pig bladder of an alderman who gained immortality with his quote, "Chicago ain't ready for reform."

Actually, that was one of Paddy's bland cracks, ranking behind "Them guys in the black suits and narrow ties, them Ivy-League types, them goo-goos - they think the whole thing is on the square" and "Harry (his son), if anything happens to me, I don't want you to call the priest or the undertaker. Just get your ass down to the bank and get them deposit boxes."

Well apparently the goo-goos, realizing things weren't "on the square," got Blagojevich (Democrat, in case reports neglect to mention this salient fact). But there is a lot more  staggering corruption in the city, county and state; can they catch it, arrest it, jail it? We'll see. A good beginning would still be to get their targets' bank deposit boxes.

And by the way, the goo-goos could ask Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), soon to resign his seat to be President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, if he knows the whereabouts of Blagojevich's bank deposit boxes. He just might. Emanuel's immediate predecessor was...Rod Blagojevich.

And by the way again, although it would be problematic if Blagojevich were now to appoint Obama's replacement, for some reason eBay canceled the Illinois US Senate seat sale auction on its site. Pity, that would have been more honest.