* Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, writing in his new book about his impressions of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic during Blagojevich’s 1990s trip to the region with Rev. Jesse Jackson…
I found [Milosevic’s] identification of himself as a victim very interesting and very telling….he couldn’t understand how [his critics] could be so wrong to believe what he claimed were lies and propaganda against him….This was shocking to hear, that a leader….would so blatantly deny the obvious and lie about it with the kind of conviction he was showing.
It’s official. Rod Blagojevich has absolutely no self-awareness whatsoever.
Wow.
* And speaking of books by crooks, Fox Chicago reports that former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese is peddling a new “tell-all” now that she’s out of prison…
She’s not afraid to name names.
Loren-Maltese has always said the whole Cicero story has not been told. Now she appears ready to tell it.
In her book, called “Justice… Chicago Style,” she calls herself a dumb broad and writes about some of the biggest names in Illinois politics — and the mob.
She doesn’t spill everything, but she does offer the station a couple of tidbits, which I’ve clipped for you…
Speaker Madigan’s spokesman told Fox Chicago that Loren-Maltese’s claim about Madigan offering to trade a Cicero casino for political help was “absurd.” Mayor Daley and Judy Baar Topinka did not respond, but a Topinka person told me that Betty got her story backwards.
It’ll be interesting to see how the public generally respond to this barrage of “Tell Alls” this year.
Will they feel pity for the authors, anger toward the targets–or will the “juicy little tid-bits” desensitize them even further so that they never vote again OR make them ripe for picking by the Trans…woops…REformers?
BLM has a few buddies left in Cicero, and I’m skeptical that she’d risk alientating them for what would amount to hearsay from a crooked ex-con trying to squeeze out a few more book sales.
>Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, writing in his new book about his impressions of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic during Blagojevich’s 1990s trip to the region with Rev. Jesse Jackson…
If Roddy B. was an elected leader in Serbia I have no doubt he would be just like Milosevic and the thugs he surrounded himself with…NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER.
While admittedly, Rod’s alleged crimes are miniscule compared to the atrocities of Slobodan Milosevic, that passage made me laugh harder than anything I’ve seen in a couple of days. Good grief.
“If Roddy B. was an elected leader in Serbia I have no doubt he would be just like Milosevic and the thugs he surrounded himself with…NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER.”
A bit over the top, no? I mean, we’re talking about genocide.
Betty Loren Maltese, Rod Blagojevich, George Ryan, Scott Fawell, Roland Burris, etc., etc., etc.,…………It’s a full employment scenario for every reporter in Illinois. Can we just tell people that we live in Indiana or Iowa to avoid the embarassment?
“I don’t think it’s over the top at all…different environment, different opportunities, no rule of law to restrict their activity. ”
It’s still an incredible leap from influence peddling to genocide. Unless less I’ve missed Hari Seldon’s paper on the new science of psychohistory, there’s no way a rational person can make the leap from Rod’s alleged crimes to Milosevic’s. It just doesn’t figure, not at 100% certainty.
The Google fails me, but I’m pretty sure I read in Newsweek that Slobodan prided himself on his command of English profanity- so he and Rod do have that in common.
OK, listened to the Miller interview. Dennis Miller comes within milliseconds of telling Blago he’s got a ‘great piece of…’ in Patti before bringing it back in place.
(about 90 seconds in)
Other than that, softball interview that was disappointing; Miller was harder on Dick Durbin in that interview than he was on Rod.
Here’s a way for the US to foster international peace and ease ongoing tensions in the Balkans, where only the Serbs aren’t rushing to join the European Union.
Send Blago over to serve as Serbia’s president, and after 6 years, the country will be bankrupt. The Serbs would then have to give the EU everything it wants from Serbia - handing over war criminals, recognizing Kosovo, abandoning plans to annex part of Bosnia - in exchange for an EU bailout and eventual membership.
Let’s go back in history, I believe Vlad the Impaler was a Serb. So, would Blago have put heads on steaks or would he be the one impaled? I am sure he would have found those willing to impale others for him.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 10:19 am:
A Cicero casino? I don’t think anyone in Illinois would have the guts for that. Still, there was that grant to the racetrack in Cicero…
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 10:34 am:
It’ll be interesting to see how the public generally respond to this barrage of “Tell Alls” this year.
Will they feel pity for the authors, anger toward the targets–or will the “juicy little tid-bits” desensitize them even further so that they never vote again OR make them ripe for picking by the Trans…woops…REformers?
Hmmmmmm.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 10:39 am:
The coconut guy’s short-term prediction is that we’re headed for two very good years thanks to all of this hoopla.
- The Doc - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 11:22 am:
BLM has a few buddies left in Cicero, and I’m skeptical that she’d risk alientating them for what would amount to hearsay from a crooked ex-con trying to squeeze out a few more book sales.
- Segatari - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 11:25 am:
>Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, writing in his new book about his impressions of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic during Blagojevich’s 1990s trip to the region with Rev. Jesse Jackson…
If Roddy B. was an elected leader in Serbia I have no doubt he would be just like Milosevic and the thugs he surrounded himself with…NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER.
- Scooby - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 11:30 am:
The two tidbits on Topinka and Daley actually reflect well on Topinka and Daley.
- You Go Boy - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 11:46 am:
Re: your commentary about Blago and lack of self-awareness….”Wow” - Perfectly stated.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 12:04 pm:
All By Ourselves - Eric Carmen, enhanced by VanillaMan
Everyone is so dumb
Fitzgerald fooled everyone
And Madigan is just no fun
After impeachment I was gone
Patti ‘n me
Victimized over political pet peeves
She even eat bugs on TV
But no one believes
All by ourselves
We took the fall
All by ourselves - not fair at all
All by ourselves
You can see
No more easy life - anymore
Servian leaders are always sure
We are always totally secure
We make reality obscure
Our version of truth is our cure
All by ourselves
We’re railroaded
By our enemies, evil to their core
All by ourselves
We’re gonna live
In jail cells and little more
- JonShibleyFan - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 12:07 pm:
While admittedly, Rod’s alleged crimes are miniscule compared to the atrocities of Slobodan Milosevic, that passage made me laugh harder than anything I’ve seen in a couple of days. Good grief.
- JonShibleyFan - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 12:10 pm:
“If Roddy B. was an elected leader in Serbia I have no doubt he would be just like Milosevic and the thugs he surrounded himself with…NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER.”
A bit over the top, no? I mean, we’re talking about genocide.
- Hank - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 12:22 pm:
Wasn’t Blago’s book supposed to name names as well? Yawn
I’ll take my BLT with extra mayo please
- Just saying - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 12:47 pm:
If Blago was the leader of Serbia, he and his sidekick Tony Rezkovic would have introduced them to Pay-to-Slay politics.
- Segatari - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 12:56 pm:
I don’t think it’s over the top at all…different environment, different opportunities, no rule of law to restrict their activity.
- trafficmatt - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 1:21 pm:
Betty Loren Maltese, Rod Blagojevich, George Ryan, Scott Fawell, Roland Burris, etc., etc., etc.,…………It’s a full employment scenario for every reporter in Illinois. Can we just tell people that we live in Indiana or Iowa to avoid the embarassment?
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 1:50 pm:
That quote from Rod is simply amazing. Such a complete lack of self-awareness sounds strikingly like my mother-in-law.
- Keraterm - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 2:41 pm:
“I don’t think it’s over the top at all…different environment, different opportunities, no rule of law to restrict their activity. ”
It’s still an incredible leap from influence peddling to genocide. Unless less I’ve missed Hari Seldon’s paper on the new science of psychohistory, there’s no way a rational person can make the leap from Rod’s alleged crimes to Milosevic’s. It just doesn’t figure, not at 100% certainty.
- Keraterm - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 2:44 pm:
The Google fails me, but I’m pretty sure I read in Newsweek that Slobodan prided himself on his command of English profanity- so he and Rod do have that in common.
- Bill - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 2:48 pm:
I can’t wait to see Rod on Chelsea Lately.
- Keraterm - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 3:03 pm:
What about RB vs Dennis Miller? That might be good for some laughs..
- Keraterm - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 3:48 pm:
OK, listened to the Miller interview. Dennis Miller comes within milliseconds of telling Blago he’s got a ‘great piece of…’ in Patti before bringing it back in place.
(about 90 seconds in)
Other than that, softball interview that was disappointing; Miller was harder on Dick Durbin in that interview than he was on Rod.
- cover - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 4:45 pm:
Here’s a way for the US to foster international peace and ease ongoing tensions in the Balkans, where only the Serbs aren’t rushing to join the European Union.
Send Blago over to serve as Serbia’s president, and after 6 years, the country will be bankrupt. The Serbs would then have to give the EU everything it wants from Serbia - handing over war criminals, recognizing Kosovo, abandoning plans to annex part of Bosnia - in exchange for an EU bailout and eventual membership.
- Honest Abe - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 8:30 pm:
Let’s go back in history, I believe Vlad the Impaler was a Serb. So, would Blago have put heads on steaks or would he be the one impaled? I am sure he would have found those willing to impale others for him.
- Honest Abe - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 8:31 pm:
PS I think I spelled stakes incorrectly, but hopefully that will add humor to this post.
- Boone Logan Square - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 8:35 pm:
Have we considered the possibility that Rod Blagojevich is really Andy Kaufman’s most impressive conceptual joke?
- Lynn S - Thursday, Sep 10, 09 @ 11:31 pm:
If that’s true, Boone, I don’t think it’s funny. >:-(
Can we trade Blago back for a better joke?