Blago problem: Court date conflicts with swearing in of new state senators

Unless Rod Blagojevich does the honorable thing--an unlikely occurrence for such a cad--Illinois residents will have to endure more intances such as the type the Daily Herald describes this morning:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich's two worlds - that of chief executive and criminal defendant - are set for a Jan. 14 collision course.

On that date, the governor has the constitutional responsibility to preside over the Illinois Senate in Springfield as new members are sworn in. The governor runs the Senate until members elect a Senate president. While mostly ceremonial, it's one of the few times the Illinois Constitution requires the governor be in the Capitol.

Also on that day, some 200 miles away, Blagojevich faces a federal court date in Chicago. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to establish whether there's probable cause for the case against him to proceed. His attendance is required.

The conflict underscores the problems the governor, lawmakers and perhaps the entire state face in the coming weeks and months. This burgeoning corruption scandal threatens to paralyze the governor and state government, which already was snarled like rush-hour traffic in an ice storm.

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