Posted by Corruption: breaking the public trust. The people depended on him and he failed them.
From the Chicago Tribune:
“As bad as you think it is, it gets worse with this guy,” Mendoza said. “You need to make an example of people who misuse their position like that.”
And:
Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk said the “verdict is a stark reminder that no one is above the law.”
And:
“Rod Blagojevich abused the office of governor and made every attempt to capitalize on his public office for personal and political benefit,” Brady said. “His overwhelming conviction today should serve as yet another reminder that public officials are in office to serve the public and not their own personal interests and ambitions.”
One from The Post:
“Now the greedy and obscenity-prone governor faces up to 300 years in prison — longer than the lifespans of Kipling, Tennyson and Elvis combined. This would seem to be the end for the disgraced Democrat whose primary public service has been the entertainment of a nation for nearly three years.”
Another from the Washington Post; and the LA Times;
I have much more reading to do as obviously this story is all over the best news outlets on the web. The key: he had a higher responsibility and his selfishness hurt others.
(Unrelated, but a long one on Amanda Knox. Today was a fairly big day in her ordeal: Rudy Guede denied telling other inmates she was innocent. Biased journalism, for the defense, and videos, here.)