So much happened in the last decade. The theatrical crookedness of the Rod Blagojevich reign of ruin almost makes you forget that his predecessor as Illinois governor, George Ryan, is still an inmate in a federal prison. We sure know how to pick 'em, here.Lawyers for the Kankakee Republican argued for Ryan's release in a hearing today, citing new United States Supreme Court interpretations of the "honest services" law which made up much of the prosecution's case against him. Special circumstances also figure into his lawyer's arguments: The former governor's wife, Lura Lynn, is suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and needs to be connected to an oxygen tank at all times.
One of Ryan's lawyers is another former Republican governor, Jim Thompson, who once was the US District Attorney for Northern Illinois.
While I admire Thompson's devotion to his friend, who has meager financial resources, it's a bad image for the Illinois Republican Party--one ex-gov defending a crooked ex-gov.
Ryan is scheduled to be released in 2013.
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