This Is The Post In Which I Come To The Defense Of...

...Rod Blagojevich. I'll give my liberal leaning members a moment to pick their jaws up off of the floor before I continue....

Ready - OK here is the deal. Blago is STILL the governor of Illinois (last I looked) and as Governor of Illinois he IS charged, allowed, enabled...pick your descriptor...to appoint a someone to fill out the remainder of Barack Obama's term (two years in this case). Until he is replaced he has every right, given to him by the people of his state, to appoint someone - just as Governor Patterson of New York and Governor Pawlenty of Minnesota or any governor in the US are entitled to do!

The US Senate, on the other hand, does NOT have the right to deny the people of Illinois their Constitutionally guaranteed representation. I agree that having Blago make the pick is a bad idea (in light of what got him arrested and all) but as Jazz pointed out on Wednesday, until the PEOPLE of Illinois do something to strip him of that power (and remember the Legislature had the opportunity to do so last week and declined to do so) there is little that Senator Reid can do.

So while the partisan in me is giddy over the prospects of the pending confrontation, the pragmatist in me can not help but wish that Sen. Reid would just butt out! The people of Illinois are CONSTITUTIONALLY ENTITLED to two Senators and you do not have the authority to block an appointed Senator just because you don't like who made the appointment. It does not work that way.