Governor Blagojevich Reminds Me of an Impudent Child

Seriously.

The man is boycotting his own impeachment trial, claiming that this is all some sort of conspiracy on the part of other Illinois politicians to drive up property taxes up to 66%. Yes, Illinois has had a reputation for dirty politics, but this verges on delusional and nonsensical. Blagojevich also stands by his claims that he is innocent of the charges against him, namely that he tried to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder. The evidence against him is overwhelming, and yet he claims innocence.

Let’s consider an equally ludicrous scenario:

This is like the child who claims he did not sell his mother’s gold earrings for pocket change, even though his mother saw him take the earrings, and the child’s pockets are now bursting at the seams with money. When his parents give him a time-out, the child protests, saying he is the real victim, and citing that trying to remove him is a violation of current childcare protocol and is part of a scheme for something far more nefarious (and wholly unrelated). He also chooses to sit out his time-out as part of the protest.

Seriously this child needs a spanking.

Sanjay Gupta Poised to Become Surgeon General

So in the news today, Barack Obama has approached Sanjay Gupta–host of CNN’s “House Call” and noted neurosurgeon–to become the Surgeon General. For some reason this has pissed people off. Why? It’s viewed as a “celebrity” pick.

Here’s my argument.

This is not like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who swaggered into office with nothing more than being head of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under his belt. This is not like Ronald Reagan, who was an actor by profession before he entered politics. To put Sanjay Gupta in the same category is ridiculous.

Sanjay Gupta’s training is in medicine, and he is a neurosurgeon–a field that is defined by its demand for perfection, since anything less than that could be fatal. The position he was tapped for was the position of Surgeon General. It’s not a terribly unusual situation.

Ok, so he is a CNN health correspondent. So? Chris Matthews is eyeing a run for Senator from Pennsylvania. He is a heavyweight in the world of political media, currently as the host of Hardball on MSNBC, and as a political writer and commentator in other media venues. He had a long political career that spanned several administrations before taking his place before a camera to comment on politics, rather than participate in it. Is Chris Matthews not worthy of a government position because of his celebrity status?

What are your thoughts?