Bye-Bye, Blago

Illinois Senate ousts Blagojevich

Yep, it really happened despite the fact that Blago has been on nearly every single television talk show and news outlets this week except for The Dr. Phil Show talking about how he's innocent and how he did everything for the people of Illinois--especially the poor and disenfranchised. He's made so many appearances that Keith Olbermann aired an edited version of his many appearances where he essentially said the same thing and hit the same talking points.

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I only saw one of his interviews in full when he appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. He kept on saying that he only cared about the poor, such as signing bills enabling poor women to get mammograms and obtain treatment for breast cancer and how he considered nominating Oprah Winfrey for Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

What was amusing was the fact that after airing the long version of his interview, Rachel Maddow went back and aired some portions of the interview where she felt that he incriminated himself.

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There's a reason why most lawyers in high profile court cases tend to advise their clients not to talk to the media until after the court case has ended. You have to be extremely disciplined to not accidentally incriminate yourself during the course of an interview. I wouldn't be surprised if Patrick Fitzgerald has recorded all of Blago's television appearances and is currently getting his staff to pour over everything Blago has said in order to help the prosecution for his upcoming criminal trial.

Hell, I think he should be sending flowers to Rachel Maddow after the case ends to thank her for making his job so easy with the above video clip.

I'll admit that Blago came across as charming in Maddow's interview and the other clips of his appearances. But even if one believes his contention that he's done the things he's done to help the poor and downtrodden in his state, here's are some questions that needs to be answered. Why haven't there been any big demonstrations against Blago's arrest and impeachment trial? Why haven't there been any buzz in the blogosphere and the news media calling for the Illinois Senate and Patrick Fitzgerald to back off of Blago? Why haven't any entrepreneurs try to sell "Free Blago" buttons or t-shirts?

Blago loves to compare himself to Nelson Mandela but Mandela had demonstrators all over the world calling for his freedom during the years that he spent in a South African prison. So far, there have been no major movement to support Blago at all. Why is that?

Perhaps this video clip from CBS News provides a clue for this apparent apathy over the persecution of Blago.

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That's right, 66 percent of respondents in a Chicago Sun-Times poll gives and "F" to the now former governor. Which goes to show that Blago has an inflated sense of self that has no basis in reality.

A Bizarre Episode of "The Dr. Phil Show" Featuring Ann Coulter and Alan Colmes

I came home from another round of physical therapy today and I felt tired so I turned on the television to an episode of "The Dr. Phil Show". Dr. Phil was devoting this episode to the inauguration of President Barack Obama (God, how I love to say that) and it started off benignly enough with clips of person on the street interviews with people expressing their hopes for the new administration.

After the commercial break, Dr. Phil announced that he was having two guests debating the political impact of the new administration--one from the left and one from the right. For the right wing, Dr. Phil had Ann Coulter on. Yes, THAT Ann Coulter, the same person who writes all those vile books that say just one thing: If you disagree with her or the previous Bush Administration on any issue or hold a political opinion that's different from Ann Coulter or George W. Bush, you are a traitor, Godless, full of slander, lacking a brain, and you're not worth talking to unless the other person MUST talk to you. (Now that I wrote the previous sentence that provides a synopsis of all of her books, I've just saved you a lot of money and a trip to the bookstore or library. You're welcome.)

For the left wing, Alan Colmes was brought on to represent them. Yes, the same Alan Colmes who, until recently, was a co-anchor of that notorious Fox News show "Hannity & Colmes" (or as Al Franken once called it HANNITY & colmes). Watching Ann Coulter debate Alan Colmes with Dr. Phil moderating is just like watching Snow White taking on the Tasmanian Devil with Yosemite Sam moderating. Yes, it was THAT bad. Yet I couldn't change the channel because, for some strange reason, it was like watching a train wreck.

At one point former White House press secretary Scott McClellen came on and Ann Coulter went after him like he was the anti-Christ. McClellen took it all in stride and showed that he had two things that Ann Coulter clearly lacks--humility and class.

The end of the episode was golden when Dr, Phil took on Ann Coulter for some of her writings. He mentioned that one of her books not only disrespected single mothers for being responsible for many of society's problems but she referred to children of single mothers as "future strippers". Coulter claimed that she was quoting statistics that claimed that many girls who grew up with single mothers ended up becoming strippers. One irony that wasn't mentioned on the show: Barack Obama grew up in the home of a single mother because his father left his mother soon after he was born and Obama only saw his father one other time when he was 10 years old. Look what became of him!

At that point Dr. Phil ran out of time but he invited Ann Coulter back for a future episode debating single mothers and she accepted! He also invited all single mothers and children of single mothers to write in to the show in order to become a guest for that episode. Oh man, I see another train wreck episode in the future.

But, to be honest, given how skinny Ann Coulter looked on television, I think Dr. Phil should've had her on as a guest the next time he does a show on people with anorexia. She looked downright skeletal and scrawny. I know that television tends to add an extra 10 pounds so I shudder to think how skinny she looks in real life.

By the way, you can see today's episode in all of its fuckery right here. You can also check out the message board with tons of heated discussions about Ann Coulter.