Legal Commentary

It's really nice to see Rod Blagojevich back in the news. That man is an American gem. But it's not the same now that he's no longer a sitting governor. I'm still mad at Illinois for impeaching and removing him. It was like the end of the first season of The O.C.; you just stare at the television trying to come to terms with the fact that it's really over.

Dang it! I am sick and tired of governors resigning or getting impeached just when they create fabulous national news. Enough is enough!

Look, news of oil spills is horrible. It's important, of course, but it's not a lot of fun to watch. The same is true of most news. But scandalized, out-of-control, going-rogue governors ? that's delicious stuff.

When a state gets rid of a sitting governor who has become a scandal magnet, that state gains. Sure. But the other 49 states lose out. The last days of the Blagojevich, Sanford, and Spitzer administrations were halcyonic. And with Palin, it looked like that investigation was about to heat up and things were just about to get interesting, and then she ended it.

Even though Palin and Blagojevich have had an afterlife on cable talkshows and the internet, at their best, they're merely amusing. But when they were in office, they pushed the needle to en fuego. You just can't refudiate that. 

Thus, I propose the following as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: No governor of any state may resign or be removed before the end of the term of office unless two-thirds of cable television audiences so consent.

(Palin photo CC-BY, Therealbs2002)