* Prosecutors are moving pretty fast in the Blagojevich trial, and the judge knocked down yet another defense request…

After just five weeks of testimony, prosecutors in Rod Blagojevich’s case say they’ll rest their case on Tuesday.

The government’s case was expected to last until August.

The defense asked if they could start their case the following week. Judge James Zagel said that was unlikely, but he might give them until Wednesday or Thursday to begin.

I was talking to an attorney last night who said most lawyers love Zagel for his dry sense of humor, fair rulings and his judicial temperament. Some lawyers will even camp out in a courtroom to watch Zagel on the bench, she claimed, adding she believed that jurors will probably identify with Zagel through the course of the trial and that his constant rulings against Blagojevich’s lawyers would be a very bad thing for the defense.

* So, I was reading through the latest Rod Blagojevich surveillance recording transcripts last night and one kinda jumped out at me. The recording was made November 7, 2008 at 1:12 in the afternoon and featured Blagojevich talking to his deputy governor Bob Greenlee…

GREENLEE: (Reading to Blagojevich) Um, uh, “I’ve been predicting Emil for awhile”, somebody says. Um… (dial tone) (PAUSE)

GREENLEE: “Just observing, Deb Mell is coming off as brazen, ungrateful and arrogant.” This is a pro-Claypool post.

BLAGOJEVICH: Yeah.

GREENLEE: Um, (clears throat) somebody else suggested Sandy Jackson for the Senate.

BLAGOJEVICH: Oh yeah?

GREENLEE: Um… (PAUSE)

BLAGOJEVICH: Doesn’t sound like a lot to me.

GREENLEE: I’m still going. There’s just so many of these posts, and they keep getting pulled down. Um, the anti-Claypool post and pro Jan Schakowsky post.

BLAGOJEVICH: I don’t care about that.

GREENLEE: Uh…

BLAGOJEVICH: (To wife) It’s Faith Hill, Patti, look at ‘er.

GREENLEE: That’s it.

BLAGOJEVICH: Not so good.

GREENLEE: We need more, I’m want to see how many have been pulled down.

BLAGOJEVICH: (Exhales loudly). (PAUSE)

It looked to me like they were talking about comments on this blog. Sure enough, they were. A post that day discussed possible US Senate appointments and ran a list of names of people considering Rahm Emanuel’s US House seat. Apparently, I was deleting a whole bunch of them, but I don’t recall why. Maybe some of you do.

Blagojevich used to tell me that he didn’t ever read the blog, but his staff told me that they often read it to him or printed it out for him.

Anyway, I thought you’d like to know.

* Remember my Sun-Times column from a month or so ago when I wrote about how Blagojevich liked to play “Lifeboat”? That came up at trial yesterday as well…

The exceptionally long recording of Dec. 4, 2008 continues with Rod Blagojevich explaining to Deputy Gov. Robert Greenlee and his pollster Fred Yang that Jesse Jackson Jr. and Lisa Madigan were “equally repugnant” to him personally.

“If they were both drowning and I could only save one, I really think I’d save Jesse,” Blagojevich is heard saying on tape. “From a personal standpoint, he’s less repugnant to me than she is.”

Old habits die hard, I suppose.

* Roundup…

* Blagojevich tells aide to hold up funding for Children’s hospital

* ‘The double-I thing’

* Blagojevich: “Bring on the White People!”

* Blago Couldn’t Get No Respect

* Prosecution could rest as soon as Tuesday

* Blagojevich trial: Prosecutors say they’ll rest their case Tuesday

* Rod Blagojevich on tape: “Only 13 percent of you think I’m doing a good job, so f— all of you.”

* Blagojevich wanted D.C. lobbying job for Patti a la Tom Daschle

* Patti Blagojevich on tape: “Hold up that f—ing Cubs s—. F— them.”

* Patti: Why do ‘anything for those (expletives)?’

* Jesse Jackson Jr. not talking about latest Blago testimony

* Blagojevich aide: If you appoint Jesse Jackson Jr. I’ll quit

* Rod saw Jackson Jr. and Lisa Madigan as ‘repugnant picks’

* Rod considered Senate seat for himself, lobbying job for Patti

* Former Copley owner emerges in Blagojevich trial

* Obama-Blagojevich agreement: I’ll invite you to my Election Day rally ONLY if you don’t show

* Testimony: Blagojevich wasn’t wanted at Obama victory rally

* Blago thought career ‘terminally wounded’ by Obama’s rise

* Obama Staff to Blagojevich: “WTF?”

* Obama and the Chicago Machine

* Blagojevich trial: Onetime deputy governor takes the stand

* Former deputy governor: Blagojevich hid in bathroom from budget director, was in the office 2-8 hours a week

* Aide: Blago rarely in office, sometimes hid in bathroom

* Blagojevich often MIA, aides say

* Senate search team ‘a sham’

* Former deputy governor: Blagojevich sought my advice on Senate seat

* Zorn: Blago the ‘bully’ puts the squeeze on for more than just lunch money