Obama urges disgraced Illinois governor step down

Obama urges disgraced Illinois governor step down

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama called on Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign on Wednesday after he was charged with trying to sell Obama's U.S. Senate seat and swap favors for money.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Blagojevich needed to step down because "under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois."

Moves boiled up within Obama's home state of Illinois to strip Blagojevich of the power to make the appointment he allegedly tried to barter, either by driving him from office through legal means or letting voters fill the Senate seat with a special election.
After being arrested at home before dawn on Tuesday and then released on his own recognizance without having to post bail, Blagojevich showed no sign of resigning.
He left his stately brick house in Chicago on Wednesday morning under siege by the news media but said nothing.
The saga threatens to follow Obama to Washington at a time when the president-elect is preparing for his White House move with ambitious plans that include proposals to get the U.S. economy moving.

Obama, who called the charges against the two-term governor sobering and sad, has had a cool relationship with the fellow Democrat -- who has been under investigation on other issues for years. Both of their political careers sprouted in the often corrupt seedbed of Chicago politics.
"Among the remarkable facts of the recent presidential election is that Barack Obama emerged from this political culture virtually untainted -- and with Chicago's political mores all but unexamined by the press," the Wall Street Journal said in an editorial on Wednesday.
"Now would be a good time for the President-elect to say that Mr. Blagojevich and his cronies should have nothing to do with naming Mr. Obama's successor. And that, given the taint of corruption that now hangs over any choice, the state should hold a special Senate election."
The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times newspapers ran nearly full-page editorials demanding the immediate resignation of Blagojevich, who turned 52 on Wednesday.
Obama, who takes office on January 20, resigned from the Senate after winning the November 4 presidential election.

Democrats, with independent allies, will have at least 58 seats in the 100-seat Senate when the new Congress convenes if Obama's successor as Illinois senator is a Democrat.
That might not happen if the matter goes to a special election. A Minnesota Senate seat is still undecided.

'IT'S OUTRAGEOUS'
"It's outrageous," said Beth Pinter, a middle-aged woman who lives a block away and was out walking her two dogs. "He should resign, but he won't because he's a sociopath ... I don't want him in my neighborhood because he's a crook." Help us advance this story. Provide relevant links or share your insights using our comment box. Please be considerate and help us by reporting any abuse you find. Reuters will delete comments that don't meet community standards.

source:Reuters

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