BackTalk

Our embattled governor loves evoking figures from history when talking about his current plight.

Rod Blagojevich said he was thinking of Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. when the FBI came knocking on his door.

Others might believe Boss Tweed, Huey Long or even Billy the Kid might be more appropriate.

You make the call.

Who's the best figure from history to compare our governor with?

President Barack Obama has made hundreds of promises and has a lot on his plate.

What should his first priority be?

Iraq and Afghanistan?

The economy?

Health care?

Let's hear from you.

State Rep. Ken Dunkin couldn't make the historic impeachment vote against Rod Blagojevich.

He was on a Caribbean cruise.

Granted, the vote wasn't exactly a nail-biter, 114-1.

And Dunkin said the trip was long planned.

But it's not like these votes come around every few years.

Not even in Illinois.

President-Elect Barack Obama wasn't the only one choked up Sunday when he locked the door on his empty Kenwood home and headed to Washington.

Sadly, for those of us left at home, Chicago's moment in the sun is officially over.

No more Grant Park celebrations, no more presidential news conferences, no more Obama motorcade sightings.

And what are we left with?

A disgraced governor and a would-be senator turned away at the Capitol.

If Illinois represents the ultimate in ying-yang politics, Obama's departure has left us terribly out of whack.

If only we could find a way back to equilibrium.

A Blagojevich impeachment, perhaps?

It's easy to get confused about the causes of the global economic mess we're in.

It's a subject that's not going away any time soon, and one worth understanding.

From time to time, at the BackTalk Blog, we recommend Web sites worth looking at.

In that spirit, check out The Baseline Scenario, which is written by economists or other specialists with a goal towards clarity.

True, the phrase "writing on economics" and clarity usually don't go hand in hand. Nor does the word entertaining.

But the Baseline Scenario manages, somehow, to do it.

If Heath Ledger posthumously wins an Academy Award for his brilliant portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight," who should climb up on stage and accept the award for him?

Sun-Times columnist Bill Zwecker reports that Heath's dad, Kim, and the rest of the Ledger family would like to do the honors.

To normal people -- people like you and me -- that might sound like a powerfully poignant moment. Some of us might have to push back tears as Heath's old man holds the Oscar high and says something short and sweet about his beloved son.

But wait. What are we thinking? We're just a bunch of nobodys thinking like nobodys.

Who really cares about fathers and sons and families and love -- you can find that stuff in your own home, if you're lucky.

What America really needs -- can't get enough -- is celebrities.

Fortunately, some unnamed Hollywood honcho set Zwecker straight:

"Let's face it, don't you think the public would rather see Christian Bale up there on stage -- or even Chris Nolan -- rather than Heath's dad, who nobody knows?"

The Hollywood honcho phrased that as a question, dear readers.

Care to post a reply to him?

As former Gov. Ryan awaits word on whether his prison sentence will be commuted, he offered on Friday what he described as a public apology, through his high-powered attorney, former Gov. Jim Thompson.

Below is the text of the apology.

What we want to know, BackTalk readers, do you feel it's sincere and is it enough to spring him from prison after serving a little more than a year on a 6 1/2 years prison sentence?

The apology:

I must say something that I have known in my heart has been a long time coming. And that is a truly heartfelt apology to the people of Illinois. It has been a difficult journey for me to get to this point, as I truly believed in my service to the people, but it was less than my best, and for that I am sorry.
I want to make things right in my heart with God, with my family, and with those that I have hurt. As a former public official, a husband, a father, and a grandfather, I apologize. Even though I cannot undo my mistakes, I hope I can restore some faith in your hearts and minds by opening up and sharing these thoughts. And even though it took time for me to come to this place, in the end my goal is to do the right thing, no matter how tardy or flawed.
I sincerely hope that by coming forward today, my words in some way might help in the healing process of restoring the people's faith in their government and others that want to serve. In addition to damaging the public's trust and confidence in government, I realize my mistakes had other implications and tangible effects on my constituents and the citizenry. I know that Reverend and Mrs. Willis suffered such effects -- an unimaginable pain and loss -- from mistakes made in my administration, both by me and others on my watch. My heart has and always will go out to the Willis family. They, like all of the people of Illinois, deserved far better than I gave them.

Mayor Daley's plan to cut back on plowing and salting on side streets has been . . . less than successful, early on this winter.

That is if the howls of outrage from residents are any indication.

Today, Ald. Tom Allen is asking the mayor to do something about it. Read the Sun-Times story here.

Let's here your horror stories. Don't leave out the details.

We've asked you what the best -- or worst -- parts of the criminal complaint are against Gov. Blagojevich.

Now, we want you, clever BackTalk readers, to put on your Perry Mason caps and tell us what creative defenses you can come up with for our governor when he has his day in court.

Insanity -- as some have suggested?

He was just "talking tough" as one must in Illinois politics, but really didn't mean what he said?

Or...what's wrong with looking out for your family?

Granted, we may be stretching, and that's why we want to hear from you.

Shoot us your suggestions.

You can love or hate the criminal charges against Gov. Blagojevich.

But you've got to admit, the criminal complaint is a heckuva read.

If you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and check it out. In certain sections, it's a potboiler.

If you have read it, what's your favorite part?

Is it when the governor allegedly considers yanking the state funding to Children's Memorial?

Or when he talks about the possibility of an ambassadorship?

Or maybe when his wife appears to lose it over the Tribune?

Tell us your favorite section and why.