'It's Our Duty to Clean Up the Mess and Stop the Freak Show That's Become Illinois Government'

Good luck with that. If the freak show ever ended Springfield would be a ghost town.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich has betrayed the public trust and should be removed from office, top lawmakers said Friday as the Illinois House opened debate on whether to impeach the governor, an unprecedented step in state history.

House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie said Blagojevich has "forfeited his right to hold office. He should be impeached."

She noted that he hasn't given the people of Illinois an explanation for the corruption charges filed against him by federal prosecutors that include allegations he schemed to profit from his power to name President-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate.

It will take a simple majority vote to impeach the second-term governor. If he is impeached, Blagojevich would then face a trial in the Senate. If convicted there, he would be removed from office.

Republican leader Tom Cross was one of many lawmakers who called the Blagojevich scandal "an embarrassment" that has made Illinois a national laughingstock.

"It's our duty to clean up the mess and stop the freak show that's become Illinois government," said Rep. Jack D. Franks, a Democrat.

Lawmakers hope the proceedings will help improve the state's reputation.

My advice to Blagojevich is simple. Make impeachment your legacy and cash in like Bill Clinton. Also, move to New York and have your wife run for the Senate in 2010.