THE PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE IS GONE IN ILLINOIS

Without any doubt, if the charges laid are proven at trial, the alleged conduct of the governor of Illinois is criminal per se. However, until such a trial is held, the governor of Illinois, like all citizens, is entitled to the presumption of innocence-no matter how hard it might be to believe he is when following the trial by media and innuendo.

His decision of 30 December to name a former AG of Illinois as the replacement US Senator to take the seat vacated by President-Elect Obama, if consistent with Illinois law and eventually certified by the Secretary of State of Illinois, would constitute a legitimate appointment.

However, the Democratic caucus in the US Senate has stated that they would refuse to caucus with any person nominated by the governor of Illinois because they believe any such nomination would be "tainted," which is political speak for "guilt by association, pre-trial."

If the members of the US Senate are so concerned over seating a new senator from Illinois so that the citizens of the Land of Lincoln are receiving full representation on matters of national interest which come before the US Senate, they should reflect back a moment.

They should reflect back to the august presences of the likes of:
* Strom Thurmond (R-SC), an avowed racist;
* Jesse Helms (R-NC), a reactionary racist homophobe;
* Al D'Amato (R-NY) he of the 1% club of Nassau County, New York;
* Chic Hecht (R-NV) who was the 'peter principle' incarnate from Nevada;
* The 'Keating Five,' including Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), John McCain (R-AZ), John Glenn (D-OH), and two others implicate in this S&L related scandal;
* Bob Packwood (R-OR) who was an arguably heterosexual version of Rep. Mark Foley, MC, albeit in the upper chamber;
* Larry "I was just squeezing the Charmin" Craig (R-ID), who allegedly exhibited lavatory footwork befitting a seated Arthur Murray or Fred Astaire;
* and of course, the drunkard cirrhois ridden Gentleman from Wisconsin who it took the US Senate a very long time to censure, Joe McCarthy, decades before the US Senate exhibited the will to also censure Thomas Dodd (D-CT), father of the incumbent senior US Senator from Connecticut.

The members of the US Senate who would deny the citizens of Illinois their right to full representation in the US Senate should remember that those who live in glass houses should not cast stones, particularly since when they sleep with the occasional dog, they too get fleas.