Governor Blagojevich can’t seem to get this mess off the front page, and he only seems to be making matters worse. From the Sun-Times (with the great headline: “No love on gov’s hate panel”)

Gov. Blagojevich’s anti-discrimination panel seethed with acrimony Thursday as two leading Jewish members resigned in protest, refusing to serve alongside a Nation of Islam official unwilling to condemn what critics call anti-Semitic and anti-gay statements by Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Lonnie Nasatir, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, and Richard Hirschhaut, director of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, stepped down from the governor’s Discrimination and Hate Crimes Commission after Blagojevich refused to oust his embattled appointee, Claudette Marie Johnson.

Appointing Rep. Lou Lang to the commission didn’t work, either.

“The notion that people would resign from the commission over the views of one member … it seems to me is an error,” Lang said. “The commission has an opportunity to do some valuable work.”The conflict has also prompted several lawmakers to take sides.

State Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago) said Thursday that he has been disappointed so far in Blagojevich’s response.

“There are three groups here–the African-American community, the Jewish community and the gay and lesbian community–who are normally united,” Silverstein said. “We are being torn apart because of this.”

And then there’s this.

Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago, a member of the commission, said the governor has “found himself in a very difficult situation.” […]

“On a personal level, I’m disappointed and discouraged,” said McKeon, an openly gay lawmaker who wrote the proposal to form such a panel eight years ago.

There’s been a lot of back and forth in comments about this issue, but I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions for how to heal the rifts? Is it too late to do anything now? Should more commission members resign, or should another way be found?

UPDATE: I missed the Tribune’s editorial.

Blagojevich deplored Farrakhan’s comments but also said he didn’t believe in guilt by association. He said Muhammad had affirmed her commitment to tolerance and acceptance and therefore should remain.

That’s disingenuous of the governor. Muhammad isn’t just a rank-and-file member of Farrakhan’s Nation. She is one of his top aides and holds a high-ranking position in the group. She has not disavowed his ugly comments. The Nation of Islam does not broadly represent the African-American community and does not deserve representation on a panel whose mission is to combat discrimination and hate. Its leader still preaches hate.

UPDATE 2: From an ABC-7 story:

“Don’t be afraid to love and don’t be afraid to hate,” Minister Louis Farrakhan said Sunday.

UPDATE 3:Press release from Dan Rutherford:

“We have statewide elected officials who are sitting on the sidelines of this fundamental moral issue doing nothing,” said Rutherford. “I call on Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Secretary of State Jesse White and the other statewide officials to stand up and speak out unequivocally. As statewide elected leaders each of them has a high moral position from which to speak and a responsibility to do so without further delay.”

UPDATE 4: Ron Gidwitz has been way in front of this as far as statewide candidates go. Here’s his statement:

“The Governor’s logic is as lame as his appointment,” said Gidwitz. “This is not a question of guilt by association. Ms. Muhammad is in a leadership position of an organization headed by an individual whose comments about Jews and others even the Governor has described as ‘hateful’ and ‘divisive’.”

Gidwitz added, “It’s not enough for Ms. Muhammad to say she is committed to the goals of the commission. She should also be asked to renounce the very hateful comments of Mr. Farrakhan to which the Governor referred.”