It would never happen

Is it just me? The first time I saw a photograph of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on TV I wondered why John Travolta was wearing a bad Beatles wig. Maybe, I thought, Travolta's making a movie about a ragged Beatles cover band? It turns out that other people I've spoken to have said they initially had the same reaction, although some do not see the resemblance.

Blago's hair is without a doubt strange. Many think it's a wig and a ragged one. My barber says it's the 51-year-old governor's real hair, just "far too long for someone his age" - another example of age inappropriateness. I wonder if it will be trimmed if and when he goes to prison. Let's just hope that U.S. taxpayers won't have to foot the huge bill for his black hair dye.

It does appear that Blago was engaged in some delusional thinking just a few weeks ago. In a report prepared on December 23, 2008, by Gregg Craig for President-Elect Barack Obama, we see an interesting discussion concerning Blago in connection with Valerie Jarrett (who will be working in the Obama White House) and Tom Balanoff of the Illinois chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Here is the relevant "it would never happen" excerpt from the Craig report concerning events that happened in early November 2008:

Ms. Jarrett had no contact or communication with Governor Blagojevich, with his Chief of Staff, John Harris or with any other people from the Governor's office about a successor to replace the President-Elect in the United States Senate or how the decision should be made...

On November 7, 2008 -- at a time when she was still a potential candidate for the Senate seat -- Ms. Jarrett spoke with Mr. Tom Balanoff... Mr. Balanoff is not a member of the Governor's staff and did not purport to speak for the Governor on that occasion. But... the subject of the Governor's interest in a cabinet appointment came up in that conversation...

Mr. Balanoff told Mrs. Jarrett that he had spoken to the Governor about the possibility of selecting (her) to replace the President-Elect. Ms. Jarrett recalls that Mr. Balanoff... told her that the Governor had raised... the (possibility that) the Governor might be considered as a possible candidate to head up the Department of Health and Human Services in the new administration.

Mr. Balanoff... told the Governor that it would never happen. Jarrett concurred.