ROD BLAGOJEVICH is the perfect holiday treat for a country fighting off depression. He gift-wraps the ugliness of corruption in the mirthful garb of farce. From a safe distance outside Illinois, it’s hard not to laugh at the “culture of Chicago,” where even the president-elect’s Senate seat is just another commodity to be bought and sold.

But the entertainment is escapist only up to a point. What went down in the Land of Lincoln is just the reductio ad absurdum of an American era where both entitlement and corruption have been the calling cards of power. Blagojevich’s alleged crimes pale next to the larger scandals of Washington and Wall Street. Yet those who promoted and condoned the twin national catastrophes of reckless war in Iraq and reckless gambling in our markets have largely escaped the accountability that now seems to await the Chicago punk nabbed by the United States attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald.

If you're not yet angry at everything the Administration has stood for over the last 8 years, GET A GRIP.

At this point, I've just about lost faith in Obama...one of his biggest promises was to eliminate conflicts of interest which he has utterly failed to accomplish yet with his cabinet. This is the same shit that's gotten us where we are now. And, no, I don't believe the bullshit that the only qualified people come from lobbying outfits or the industries they previously represented. There are plenty of smart people in the world. Plenty of talented people. And at least a decent share of those people are also ethical. I've included a handy diagram.

-janelane