* My syndicated newspaper column takes a look at a couple of polls that I told subscribers about early last week…

A new statewide poll has found that 59 percent of Illinois registered voters want the Illinois Legislature to begin impeachment hearings against Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The Glengariff Group poll had Blagojevich’s job approval rating at 26 percent, while his disapproval rating was a mind-boggling 65 percent. The number of voters supporting impeachment is somewhat striking since the “I Word” has not been discussed much in the media.

* The governor’s own party has turned against him…

Even a plurality of Democrats supports holding impeachment hearings. Democratic voters said they supported the idea by a margin of 49.4 percent to 41.5 percent. Independents overwhelmingly like the proposal, backing it 63 to 24. And it’s probably no surprise that Republicans love it. A whopping 73.5 percent of GOP voters said it was a good idea, compared to just 16 percent who said it wasn’t.

* While a clear majority of Illinoisans supports holding hearings, they’re not yet convinced that Gov. Blagojevich should be removed from office, although they do appear to be moving in that direction…

A plurality of 45 percent said they supported “impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich forcing him to leave office,” while 35 percent said they were opposed. Eighteen percent didn’t know.

House Republican Leader Tom Cross has gone out of his way to downplay impeachment talk in the past few weeks. Yet, 57 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents want the governor removed. Those numbers ought to give Cross serious pause.

* And here’s the other poll…

Ask Illinois, a group that conducts automated polls, asked 2,301 registered voters this question last week: “If you were given the choice between former Gov. George Ryan and current Gov. Rod Blagojevich, which do you think would do a better job running our state?”

More than half, 52 percent, chose Ryan, the imprisoned former governor. Blagojevich scored 48 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus/minus 2.19 percent.

You know things are bad when you’re losing a popularity contest to a federal inmate.

Read the whole thing.

* Meanwhile, the News-Gazette editorial board has this thought…

The best way to clean up Illinois’ tawdry government is not in limiting who can contribute how much to candidates, but in strengthening disclosure laws as they apply to political candidates and people who do business with the state.

Theoretically, disclosure works because it shames people into doing the right thing. As I’ve been writing for years, there is precious little shame at the Statehouse. Disclosure alone is not nearly enough.

* Related…

* Recall gives people power to reform

* Patty-come-lately on recall