On this day in 2008: Blago arrested

The afterglow of the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was disturbed by the dark clouds of the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on December 9 of that year. Blago was arrested for attempting to sell the US Senate seat vacated by his fellow Chicago Democrat; he was convicted of a whole slew of corruption charges two years three years later.

Time has not been kind to Blagojevich's reputation. Nearly six years after his removal from office by the General Assembly, Illinois' still is burdened by billions in unpaid bills and $100 billion in un-funded pension debt. The pension problem wasn't created by the hair-brained Dem, but it got worse during his six years in office--at his direction payments into the system were cut. 

The next time historians compile a "worst governors ever" list, expect Blago's name to be near the top--if not at the top--of that tally.