* Yes, there is quite a lot of talk about impeachment these days among Statehouse denizens, but I will beieve it when I see it…

The impeachment drumbeat at the Statehouse grew louder Wednesday, a day after the blockbuster accusation by a former state official that he got his state job after pouring money into Gov. Blagojevich’s campaign fund — including a $25,000 check in an envelope he presented to the governor.

Two House Democrats said discussions on a possible impeachment resolution targeting Blagojevich accelerated after Tuesday’s disclosure by Ali Ata, whom the governor appointed to a $127,000-a-year post running the Illinois Finance Authority. In his surprise guilty plea to federal corruption charges, Ata said he gave two $25,000 campaign contributions to the governor and then got Blagojevich’s assurance of landing a state job in which Ata “could make some money.” Ata is expected to testify against indicted former Blagojevich fund-raiser Tony Rezko.

State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock) and Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) said a decision on impeachment could come within two weeks.

“We now find ourselves in a very different environment, where an individual has pled guilty to being a co-conspirator in transactions involving the governor,” Fritchey said. “Can state government be effectively led by a governor who is apparently at the center of some very significant allegations of wrongdoing?”

* The Illinois Constitution doesn’t mandate an actual reason for impeachment, like the US Constitution does. There is no “high crimes and misdemeanors” language. All that is required for impeachment is a vote of the majority of those elected…

SECTION 14. IMPEACHMENT

The House of Representatives has the sole power to conduct legislative investigations to determine the existence of cause for impeachment and, by the vote of a majority of the members elected, to impeach Executive and Judicial officers. Impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. When sitting for that purpose, Senators shall be upon oath, or affirmation, to do justice according to law. If the Governor is tried, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senators elected. Judgment shall not extend beyond removal from office and disqualification to hold any public office of this State. An impeached officer,
whether convicted or acquitted, shall be liable to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law.

You should have a reason, obviously, particularly since there has to be a trial in the Senate. Removing a governor simply because a majority of elected House members thought it was a good idea probably wouldn’t fly. Then again, Blagojevich is so unpopular in and out of the Statehouse, the vote might still be close.

…Adding… I also kinda doubt think that Speaker Madigan wants to give Pat Quinn a leg up on the 2010 gubernatorial primary.

* Meanwhile, I don’t think this will work…

Illinois legislators are going to reach agreement on a long-stalled plan to crack down on “pay-to-play” politics by next week, or not at all, backers of the proposal predicted Wednesday.

“We need to see some kind of an announcement of an agreement within the next week,” said Cynthia Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, which has spent more than a year pushing a proposal to ban campaign donations from state contractors to the elected officials who control their contracts.

“Should this fall apart … we will get out there publicly” and argue that legislators have acted in bad faith on the issue, Canary said.

Since the Senate so brazenly refused to move the recall proposal to the floor, despite overwhelming popular support and tons of pressure from newspaper editorial boards, I seriously doubt that threats from ICPR will have any impact whatsoever.

The problem here is that the House and Senate now have competing bills. It’s the old “criss-cross” maneuver where the House sends the Senate a bill and the Senate sends the House a similar bill, then neither one makes it to the governor’s desk.

“If there’s not an agreement [between the House and Senate] by the beginning of next week, I think that will raise some red flags,” Fritchey said.

My unsolicited advice to Fritchey and the goo-goos: If the Senate approves its own bill and sends it to the House, just pass it and get this over with. It doesn’t appear to be all that different than the House version, and if that’s the case, just do it. All anyone will really be arguing about is credit for getting something done. Go beyond that. Pass the bill.