Arrested

The state is abuzz today with the arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. It's only the latest thing that he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat just vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Illinois Issues columnist Charlie Wheeler said months ago he expected the governor to be indicted, because an investigation has been ongoing for years. So inside Illinois, it was no great surprise, except that it happened today. Many people on our campus specialize in studying Illinois politics -- and it's shocking even for us to hear U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald call Blago's corruption "a truly new low" in Illinois. This is absolutely stunning. As Rich Miller said in his Capitol Fax column today, what kind of nutball would do this?

Students and voting

If UIS is any indication, then I'd say college students have the political fever back. Our own students are very excited about this election. They passed a resolution reminding faculty of their interest in doing election work tomorrow -- so take it easy on them if they ask to miss a class. They have organized a bus to take students to the polls. And some are back in their home towns, burning energy for their favorite candidates. Equally important is that they have strong opinions about this election. They're eager to express themselves and they're out there working. As they should be.