Greg Hinz makes a very good point in this week’s column.

Since the earliest days of the Blagojevich administration, those who know state government have been warning that Rod Blogojevich apparently missed the central lesson of the George Ryan years: Keep campaign fund-raisers far away from government. […]

If he ever bothered to read anything except the sports page, Rod Blagojevich had enormous reason to keep a close, close eye on his fund-raisers. All he had to do was look at George Ryan and what his friends did.

My syndicated column lays out our options.

1) Blagojevich knows about the corruption and is a very good liar; 2) The governor isn’t curious enough to delve deeper than a headline and seriously question his friends; 3) He is utterly incapable of trusting any information that contradicts his own beliefs; or 4) U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald is completely wrong, even though he has yet to lose a corruption case.

The Tribune editorial board weighed in yesterday.

So Blagojevich essentially is channeling George Ryan: In case of crime spree, I knew nothing. The problem with this, three weeks shy of an election, is that it forces voters to ask unpleasant questions: Is my governor clueless? Or worse?

When something as big as the Tony Rezko indictment breaks, reporters will always find a way to keep it in their stories.

Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich touted his senior health-care efforts Sunday while Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka accused him of distorting her plans for children’s medical insurance, as both campaigns pondered the effects of recent corruption charges against a top fundraiser for the governor.

Blagojevich, appearing at a Northwest Side seniors center, said he did not believe his re-election bid would be hampered because his close adviser and fundraiser, Antoin “Tony” Rezko, didn’t show up for arraignment Friday following his indictment on federal charges involving the state’s teacher pension system.

But Topinka said Blagojevich should be concerned about Rezko and the anticipated plea agreement later this month of the man alleged to be Rezko’s co-schemer Stuart Levine.

“I don’t have any Tony Rezkos in my life. We don’t deal with people like that, OK?” Topinka asked. “The fact that we do know that Stu Levine is going to have his plea bargain coming up. … I suspect that that will be very informative.”

And here’s something so out of the blue that it might get some coverage and allow the guv to change the subject: The Illinois State Rifle Association has called on Blagojevich to resign.

Also, Chuck Goudie tries to connect the Rezko scandal with the House page scandal.