Tom Daschle Tax Troubles- President Obama's pisk for Health Secretary

WASHINGTON (Jan. 31) - Former Sen. Tom Daschle's failure to pay his taxes on time isn't expected to derail his confirmation as health secretary for the Obama administration, Republicans and Democrats say.
Daschle, the South Dakota Democrat chosen to lead President Obama's health reform efforts, recently filed amended tax returns to report $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest, according to a Senate document obtained by The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama's Weekly Address-01/31/2009

Oscar Grant Beaten by Police Prior to Murder

A newly obtained video of Oscar Grant’s murder on New Year’s day reveals that he was assaulted by BART Police Officer Tony Pirone before the shooting. The grainy footage shows the officer lunging at Grant and punching him in the face until he falls to the ground.

Everyone knows what happened next: thrown on his stomach, and with Pirone's knee pressed against his neck, Grant was shot in the back by BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle.

BART officials' sluggish, tone-deaf response to the slaying ignited protests in Oakland and other parts of the Bay Area. Eventually, the public outcry over Grant's shooting led prosecutors to charge Mehserle with murder.

Elizabeth Cheney- college thesis by the former vice president's daughter tells us about the Bush presidency.

When I worked at the library at Colorado College, I quickly discovered the job had few perks. The free book loans on demand were little better than subprime mortgages when you realized anyone could get them. The only "exclusive" benefit was the chance to keep manuscripts the library threw out. Usually, I had a limited selection of titles, like Proceedings From the Third Workshop on Genetics of Bark Beetles and Associated Micro-Organisms. But occasionally I stumbled across a gem. Rummaging through a bin of discarded books one day, I saw an unusual spine: "CHENEY The Evolution of Presidential War Powers 1988."

In 1988, while Dick Cheney was Wyoming's sole representative in the House of Representatives, his daughter's senior thesis was quietly published in Colorado Springs. The 125-page treatise argued that, constitutionally and historically, presidents have virtually unchecked powers in war. Thirteen years before her father became vice president, she had symbolically authored the first legal memorandum of the Bush administration, laying out the same arguments that would eventually justify Guantanamo and extraordinary rendition, wiretapping of American citizens, and, broadly, the unitary theory of the executive that shaped the Bush presidency.

You want more beautiful pictures? Here you go!

Inaugural - You can not get enough of the beautiful moment

Racism in the Media

Blagojevich makes TV rounds as impeachment trial set to begin

CNN) -- Impeachment proceedings against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are scheduled to begin Monday in the state Senate, but the embattled governor is expected to skip the trial and instead appear on several television programs.Blagojevich is facing federal corruption allegations, including trying to trade or sell the Senate seat that became vacant after Barack Obama was elected president.

The second-term Democratic governor has denied wrongdoing.

In his first live prime-time interview, Blagojevich will appear Monday on CNN's "Larry King Live."

He spoke with ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday morning and appeared later on ABC's "The View."

On "Good Morning America," Blagojevich said he considered appointing Oprah Winfrey as Obama's Senate replacement. "She seemed to be someone who had helped Barack Obama in a significant way become president," he said. "She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators." The governor said Winfrey was one of several candidates he had considered for the position.

Blagojevich eventually picked former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace Obama. Senate Democrats initially disputed seating Burris due to the cloud over Blagojevich, and Illinois' secretary of state refused to sign off on the appointment.

But Illinois' highest court validated Burris' appointment earlier this month, and Senate Democratic leaders recognized it.

Bahamas senator accused in Travolta plot resigns

NASSAU, Bahamas — A Bahamas senator accused of trying to extort money from actor John Travolta after his son's death resigned on Saturday and vowed to prove her innocence.

Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater, an attorney from Grand Bahama, said she plans to fight "untrue and unfair charges" stemming from actions she took as a lawyer.

"How these innocent actions can be so misconstrued, so perversely twisted to mean something other than it was, is a mystery," she said without providing more details.

Bridgewater could not be immediately reached for comment.

Travolta had filed a complaint of attempted extortion, according to police, but did not release any details of the alleged plot. The actor and his wife Kelly Preston have returned home to Florida with the ashes of their 16-year-old, chronically ill son, Jett, who died of a seizure this month at their family vacation home on Grand Bahama.

Authorities arrested Bridgewater Thursday on charges of abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort. She was released Friday on $40,000 bail.

Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video

Shameful-Rush on Hannity: Do You Want Obama to Succeed?

New York's Political Circus- No Kennedy's Around

(CNN) -- The political circus surrounding the selection of New York's next senator is over -- at least for the next two years. On Friday, New York Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat, appointed Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to serve the remaining Senate term of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Paterson had the task of choosing among at least 10 people for the job. The list included New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Caroline Kennedy.

New York Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Steve Israel had also been mentioned as replacements for Clinton.

Kennedy was considered the front-runner for the Senate seat her uncle Robert Kennedy once held, but she withdrew her bid before Gillibrand, a relatively unknown upstate representative, got the job.

Paterson's decision was hailed by several top state Democrats. Video Watch Gillibrand discuss her new job »

Cuomo said he's had the "pleasure of knowing her for many years." Gillibrand, 42, worked for Cuomo during his time as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton.

Barack Obama on the Inauguration

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

News access issues concern those covering Obama

NEW YORK — News organizations that cover the White House sparred with the Obama administration on Thursday over access issues for photographers and rules for briefings.

Representatives from Obama's press office held a conference call with photo editors, who are concerned that the administration prefers distributing photos taken by a White House photographer in cases where photojournalists have been permitted access in the past. It was unclear whether the two sides had reached any accommodation.

The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse refused to distribute photos taken by the White House of the new president on his first day in the Oval Office because of the dispute. Still photographers were also not given access to Obama's do-over oath of office administered Wednesday night by Chief Justice John Roberts and an economics meeting on Thursday.

Television network bureau chiefs also protested the exclusion of video cameras from the second oath of office.

Some of yesterday's historical event's

The Obamas Share a Kiss
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama kiss at the Eastern Inaugural Ball in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)





The President Dances with the People
President Barack Obama, center, dances on stage with invited guests during the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)





The Obamas Dance
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance together at the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Breaking News- Ted Kennedy

Sen. Edward Kennedy has collapsed at a luncheon honoring President Obama. Paramedics have responded to the scene.

Update: 3:16pm
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, collapsed Tuesday afternoon during a luncheon held for President Barack Obama in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, a senator told CNN. Paramedics were called to the scene at 2:35 p.m. ET.

A Republican House member told CNN "Senator Kennedy had a seizure," adding it "lasted a while."

The member said Kennedy was still seizing when he was put in a wheelchair and taken out through the Rayburn room.

This source did not know whether President Obama saw it happening because "there was still a lot of talking" and the program was still going on - the incident happened at the end of lunch.

This source was sitting at table in front of Kennedy and said Kennedy was sitting with former Vice President Walter Mondale and Senator Daniel.

President Obama: The Inauguration - BBC News

Obama becomes first black U.S. president

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama became the first black U.S. president on Tuesday, making history before a sea of people and declaring the United States in the midst of a crisis that can be defeated with a united sense of purpose.

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real," Obama said in his inaugural speech shortly after taking the oath of office. "They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met."

Hundreds of thousands of people erupted in roars of approval on the broad National Mall grounds as they watched Obama stand with one hand raised, one hand on a Bible used to swear in Abraham Lincoln in 1861, and repeat the brief oath to become the 44th U.S. president and succeed George W. Bush.

The inauguration of Obama, 47, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas, was steeped in symbolic meaning for African-Americans, who for generations suffered slavery and then racial segregation that made them second-class citizens.

Barack Obama Pens a Letter to His Daughters

'What I Want for You — and Every Child
in America'
By President-elect Barack Obama
Dear Malia and Sasha,

I know that you've both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know how much I've missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn't seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren't rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.

I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you'll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility. That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It's a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you've had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.

I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.


Love, Dad

Obama's day starts with church, coffee with Bush

WASHINGTON — As massive crowds swarmed the National Mall on Tuesday to witness Barack Obama's inauguration as president, the man at the center of the maelstrom began the day quietly and reverently, at a church service across the street from the White House.

Obama and his family attended a private service at St. John's Episcopal Church, a tradition for those about to become president. The family of Vice President-elect Joe Biden also attended.

The Obamas waved to bystanders, then entered the church to applause from about 200 people. The choir and congregation began singing the hymn, "O God Our Help in Ages Past."

Barack and Michelle Obama, and Joe and Jill Biden, were scheduled to have coffee at the White House with President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney and their wives. Then they would travel the short distance to the Capitol for Obama's history-making moment.

Throughout the day, Obama showed no hints of nervousness about becoming president within hours.

"I don't sweat," he told volunteers at Sasha Bruce House, a shelter for homeless teens in one of Washington's poorer neighborhoods. "You ever see me sweat?"

All day, he switched easily from self-deprecation to faux cockiness to calls for action.

"Make sure I do something simple," he told Sasha Bruce organizers. "Don't give me plumbing or electrical work."

As he painted a wall with a roller brush, he quoted King as saying, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve."

"Right?" he asked the late civil rights leader's eldest son, Martin Luther King III, who was almost overlooked while painting nearby.

"Right," King assured the president-elect.

Jill Biden: Joe had choice of VP or Sec. of State

Obama to step into history as 1st black president

WASHINGTON — Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasps the reins of power as America's first black president in a high-noon inauguration amid grave economic worries and high expectations.

Braving icy temperatures and possible snow flurries, hundreds of thousands of people descended on the heavily guarded capital city Tuesday for the first change of administrations since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The capital city, a quick starter on even the most ordinary of days, took on the kind of frenetic predawn life rarely seen. The streets were becoming populated well before daybreak, and competition for space on the Metro subway system was fierce. Several suburban parking lots for subway riders were filled to capacity well before 6 a.m.

Two years after beginning his improbable quest as a little-known, first-term Illinois senator with a foreign-sounding name, Obama moves into the Oval Office as the nation's fourth youngest president, at 47, and the first African-American, a racial barrier-breaking achievement believed impossible by generations of minorities.

Around the world, Obama's election electrified millions with the hope that America will be more embracing, more open to change.

Crowds of 1 million or more to test DC

WASHINGTON — Crowds streamed into the nation's capital Tuesday, jamming subway cars and packing the National Mall from the Capitol to the Washington Monument hours before President-elect Barack Obama was to be sworn in.

For weeks, officials urged people to arrive early for the historic inauguration of the nation's first black president and throngs of revelers heeded that advice, streaming onto the Mall hours before daybreak.Meanwhile, thousands of people gathered near the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue, occasionally erupting in spontaneous cheers and chants of "open the gates!" The large crowds made it difficult for many to figure out where checkpoints into the secure area were.

Police have projected crowds ranging between 1 and 2 million for the inauguration. It's possible that attendance could top the 1.2 million people who were at Lyndon Johnson's 1965 inauguration, which is the largest crowd the National Park Service has on record.Thousands of charter buses from across the country were in the District of Columbia, packing parking lots and even streets that closed Monday night to accommodate the surge of overnight visitors and day-trippers.

On the closing list Tuesday are all inbound bridges connecting D.C. and Virginia, though authorized vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists are allowed. A sizable chunk of downtown Washington will be shut down, and other sections will not permit parking. The two subway stations near the National Mall will be closed for much of the day.

Obama Countdown Continues

Foreign Dignitary All Ready Making Waves for The Incoming President: Chavez: Obama meddles in Venezuela term-limit vote

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez on Saturday accused Barack Obama of meddling in a referendum that could allow him to run for re-election indefinitely and ordered a crackdown on disorderly student protests against the upcoming vote.

In a speech to supporters, Chavez accused the U.S. president-elect of supporting the Venezuelan opposition and wanting to see him removed from office.

"He's said I'm an obstacle for progress in Latin America," Chavez said. "Therefore it must be removed, this obstacle, right?"he Venezuelan leader, who has repeatedly accused opposition leaders of planning violence if the re-election referendum passes, urged his rivals to go "the legal way."

Opposition leader Manuel Rosales promised a peaceful campaign against lifting term limits.

"We don't participate in riots or violence," he told Globovision TV on Saturday. "We are not against constitutional and legal norms."

Chavez said he had information that opposition leaders he accuses of meeting with advisers from the U.S. government in Puerto Rico went to New York on Friday for similar reasons.

"Can't you see that Obama has gotten involved in the (referendum) campaign?" he said.

"We are facing very powerful enemies. Barack Obama seems to be making new trouble."

Goodbye Mr. President- You Will Not Be Missed- (you left of with some funny blunders)

AP) President George W. Bush will leave behind a legacy of Bushisms, the label stamped on the commander in chief's original speaking style. Some of the president's more notable malaprops and mangled statements:

# "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." - September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan.

# "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?" - January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina.

# "They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander in chief, too." - Sept. 26, 2001, in Langley, Va. Bush was referring to the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.

# "There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." - Oct. 4, 2001, in Washington. Bush was remarking on a back-to-work plan after the terrorist attacks.

# "It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." - April 10, 2002, at the White House, as Bush urged Senate passage of a broad ban on cloning.

# "I want to thank the dozens of welfare-to-work stories, the actual examples of people who made the firm and solemn commitment to work hard to embetter themselves." - April 18, 2002, at the White House.

# "There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again." - Sept. 17, 2002, in Nashville, Tenn.# "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill.

# "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." - Sept. 6, 2004, at a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

# "Our most abundant energy source is coal. We have enough coal to last for 250 years, yet coal also prevents an environmental challenge." - April 20, 2005, in Washington.

# "We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job." - Sept. 20, 2005, in Gulfport, Miss.

# "I can't wait to join you in the joy of welcoming neighbors back into neighborhoods, and small businesses up and running, and cutting those ribbons that somebody is creating new jobs." - Sept. 5, 2005, when Bush met with residents of Poplarville, Miss., in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. # It was not always a given that the United States and America would have a close relationship. After all, 60 years we were at war 60 years ago we were at war." - June 29, 2006, at the White House, where Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

# "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." - Dec. 7, 2006, in a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

# "These are big achievements for this country, and the people of Bulgaria ought to be proud of the achievements that they have achieved." - June 11, 2007, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

# "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." - September 2007, in Sydney, Australia, where Bush was attending an APEC summit.

# "Thank you, Your Holiness. Awesome speech." - April 16, 2008, at a ceremony welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the White House.

# "The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place." - May 27, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz.

# "And they have no disregard for human life." - July 15, 2008, at the White House. Bush was referring to enemy fighters in Afghanistan.

# "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." - June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.

# "Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." - July 4, 2008 in Virginia.

# "The people in Louisiana must know that all across our country there's a lot of prayer - prayer for those whose lives have been turned upside down. And I'm one of them. It's good to come down here." - Sept. 3, 2008, at an emergency operations center in Baton Rouge, La., after Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast.

# "This thaw - took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." Oct. 20, 2008, in AlexanLa., as he discussed the economy and frozen credit markets.

Obama Makes Urgent Plea for Stimulus Package MSNBC Decision 08

Caroline Kennedy interviewed by Gov. Paterson for Hillary's Senate seat

Updated Sunday, January 11th 2009, 2:24 AM

ALBANY - Caroline Kennedy had her much-anticipated formal interview with Gov. Paterson over the Senate seat Saturday, the Daily News has learned.

Kennedy met with the governor at 2 p.m. at his Manhattan office, Paterson spokeswoman Erin Duggan confirmed.

Until Saturday, Kennedy had only spoken by phone to Paterson to express her interest in the Senate seat to be vacated by Hillary Clinton.

The meeting was the first time she and Paterson discussed faceto-face why she wants the seat, the Daily News first reported on its Web site.

Though she has been considered a front-runner, Paterson has said he won't begin to make a decision until he meets personally with all the candidates.

This past week, he began talking in public about what he views as her pros and cons. Her close connection to President-elect Barack Obama is a positive. Her lack of electoral experience is a negative.

Corruption, Corruption!! Grand Jury Indicts Baltimore Mayor

BALTIMORE (Jan. 9) - Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted Friday on charges that she accepted illegal gifts during her time as mayor and City Council president, including travel, fur coats and gift cards intended for the poor that she allegedly used instead for a holiday shopping spree.
A grand jury indicted Dixon on 12 counts, including four counts of perjury and two counts of theft over $500. She was also charged with theft under $500, fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary and misconduct in office.The State Prosecutor's Office, which has been investigating corruption at City Hall for nearly three years, said Dixon received holiday gift cards for four years from several people. Prosecutors said the gift cards were to be distributed to needy families, but were instead used by Dixon to buy electronics — including an Xbox, a PlayStation 2 and a camcorder — clothes and other merchandise and also handed out to members of her staff.
"I am being unfairly accused," Dixon said in a statement. "Time will prove that I have done nothing wrong, and I am confident that I will be found innocent of these charges."
Dixon said she would not step down. "I will not let these charges deter me from keeping Baltimore on the path that we have set."
Her attorney, Arnold M. Weiner, leveled an angry verbal attack against State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh at an afternoon news conference.
"Sheila Dixon has been the state prosecutor's singular, personal obsession over the past four years," said Weiner. "There wasn't a bedsheet that he failed to look under or a lead that he found too trivial for him to pursue personally."
Rohrbaugh declined through his office to respond to Weiner's comments.

President-elect's train trip poses miles of security issues

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama's January 17 train trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington is intended to make the inauguration the most open and accessible in history. But it is also presenting the U.S. Secret Service with security problems. Miles and miles and miles of them.

In addition to the well-publicized "whistle stops" in Philadelphia; Wilmington, Delaware; and Baltimore, Maryland, the Presidential Inauguration Committee says the public will have the opportunity to view the train at other locations along its 137-mile route.

But the committee has not indicated where those sites will be, and the Secret Service has yet to release what security restrictions will be in place.

Security experts say the train ride presents traditional threats to the VIPs on board, as well as countless buildings, homes and warehouses along the route. And there are non-traditional vulnerabilities: scores of bridges and tunnels that could be sabotaged.

And, two environmental groups have warned, terrorists could take a page from al Qaeda's playbook, using existing infrastructure, in this case chemical plants along the route, as an attack method.

In a letter to the Secret Service, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth wrote that they were worried that security efforts focused on the Obama entourage "might not extend to the larger community which may suffer serious consequences in case of even one moderately successful terrorist release of ultrahazardous chemicals."

Gov. Blagojevich- Impeached

Breaking News: Gov. Blagojevich impeached by the Illinois House of Representatives.
More information to come shortly.

Update- 12:04PM:

The Illinois House of Representatives voted Friday to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich on a 114-1 vote, setting the stage for a trial in the state Senate that will decide if he should be removed from office.

House members who spoke before the unprecedented vote charged that he betrayed his oath of office and is not fit to lead the state. Blagojevich is the first Illinois governor to be impeached."We stand here today because of the perfidy of one man: Rod Blagojevich," said Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, a Democrat who chaired a special impeachment committee. "To overturn the results of an election is not something that should be undertaken lightly."

Lucio Guerrero, Blagojevich's spokesman, told USA TODAY the governor will not resign.