With all these Republicans in Washington shrieking about how holy they've become, and with the Republican National Committee meetings scheduled to begin Thursday, an old question came to me.

It percolated in my mind as congressional Republicans lusted after reform while no doubt wondering if their charismatic Republican candyman--the admittedly guilty and cooperating lobbyist Jack Abramoff--happened to squeal their names to his new friends at the FBI. Perhaps they should soothe their nerves with a free round of golf at St. Andrews.

The question almost popped out of my mind from the shock of watching Chicago Democrats climbing on the reform bandwagon Wednesday. Chicago Democrats figure voters are sick and tired of political corruption and won't take it anymore.

That's a safe assumption, just so long as their reform bandwagon doesn't try to park outside Chicago City Hall.

And still, the question nagged at me.

It was not one of your Washington political questions, where you listen to some gasbag talk about reform and you purposely forget to ask indelicately about their backgrounds, so as to not ruin the easy good-vs.-evil theme and so they'll return your calls the next time you need gas.

No, this is a humble heartland question, plain as a pine box. So I feel like putting on a weathered John Deere cap before moseying on down to the diner to discuss those Republican heartland values, whatever they are.

I thought they were about small government, individual responsibility and low taxes, but these are complicated matters best left to the deep-thinkers in Los Angeles and New York.

Anywho, I reckon I better ask that question, so here goes:

If national Republicans are so serious about reform these days, then what does that mean for Illinois' boss hog, Big Bob Kjellander?

Why is Kjellander, a lobbyist who has cleaned up making millions on deals with the administration of a Democratic governor of Illinois, still the treasurer of the Republican National Committee?

And how can the national media ignore him when he's the perfect link between Washington and the Land of Lincoln, where oily bipartisan politics and the corruption trial of a governor foreshadow what's going on in Washington today?

So why don't we hear from an Illinois Republican who really gets it, especially now that Abramoff gave the Republican Party the heebie-jeebies?

"If we don't get our act together and we don't pass some major reform within 60 days of coming back, we're going to be the minority party," cheeped U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) the other day in the Tribune.

That's the same Ray LaHood, who with state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, helped drive former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) out of politics.

Fitzgerald's sin? Not only harping on reform but doing something about it, like appointing politically independent federal prosecutors.

I can't wait to hear LaHood hold his Bob Kjellander reform news conference. Call me, Ray, I'd hate to miss it.

I keep hearing from Republican operatives that nobody really cares about Bob Kjellander. They keep forgetting to mention that they'd like Topinka elected governor, now that the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has his own ethics problems.

Kjellander hasn't been charged with any crime. He's got many friends in media and politics, including the guy who put him in the RNC treasurer's job, White House political adviser Karl Rove.

If that's not enough, Big Bob's wife was considering going into the horse barn business with former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar. Big Bob was also the patronage boss for then-Gov. Big Jim Thompson. He was Medium Bob back then.

Lately, he's made news by receiving $809,000 in questionable fees in a bond deal with Blagojevich, for work he either can't or won't explain.

And he's made $4.5 million in other deals relating to pension fund investments of the Teachers Retirement System of Illinois.

The teachers pension fund is at the center of a federal investigation into influence peddling. Stuart Levine, an Illinois Republican bigwig pension fund official, was indicted last year on charges of orchestrating a kickback scheme in which investing firms were allegedly chosen in exchange for bribes and consultant fees.

So with all this newfound interest in reform, I'm brought back to the question:

What about Bob Kjellander?

On Wednesday, as bipartisan gasses enveloped Washington, we clicked on the Republican National Committee Web site. There on the page that deals with Illinois, right next to a list of Republican propaganda about how the Abramoff scandal is really a Democratic (not Republican alone) scandal, was a photo.

It was a photo of Kjellander with a kooky half smile.

That's reform for you, Republican style. Yesiree, Bob.

 

 

Delivering an address that served as a foundation for his re-election bid, Gov. Rod Blagojevich used his State of the State speech Wednesday to promote his efforts to turn a "bloated, ineffective" state government into one that aids children, women, seniors and families.

Blagojevich provided a glimpse into the strategy the first-term Democratic governor will employ this election year, repeatedly railing at social policies emanating from Republican-led Washington while portraying himself as a leader willing to stand against them.

But after making the centerpiece of his speech a call for a job-rich $3.2 billion public works construction program, Blagojevich hedged on a major funding source for the package. He never mentioned his controversial idea of using keno wagering to pay for new schools in his address. Later, he declined to answer questions about the fate of the keno idea, saying he was more concerned about passing the overall public works plan.

Although Blagojevich has not formally announced his re-election campaign--though his filed candidacy petitions ensure his place on the March 21 primary ballot--his 40-minute address to Illinois House and Senate members carried strong campaign-year overtones.

He reminded lawmakers of first-term initiatives that led to expanded health care for children and women, prescription drug coverage for seniors and more funding for education. And he proposed new initiatives that included his public works program, a $1,000 income-tax credit for college tuition for freshmen and sophomores and more health care for veterans--all despite a still-bleak financial situation.

"Illinois is now a state where more people have health care, where we have more money and higher standards for our schools, where crime is down and jobs are up," Blagojevich said in a speech punctuated with frequent applause from the Democratic lawmakers who control the House and Senate.

"By working together and being willing to make the hard and necessary choices, we were able to do all of this while eliminating a $5 billion budget deficit and without asking people to pay more in taxes," he said.

But critics said that in seeking to avoid controversies, the governor's address was noteworthy for what he didn't say as much as for what he did say.

Blagojevich's speech was "a new coat of varnish on the old rotten planks," said Edwin Eisendrath, the governor's Democratic primary challenger.

"Those people who think Rod has cleaned up this Springfield mess as he said he would and changed the old ways as he said he did should vote for him," Eisendrath said. "I'll take the rest."

While promoting his refusal to support higher sales and income taxes, based on a 2002 campaign pledge, Blagojevich did not address whether that vow would remain in a second term.

And though the governor used reform of a corruption-tainted state government as a winning theme in his first campaign, Blagojevich, whose administration has been the subject of state and federal inquiries into allegations of pay-to-play politics, did not mention the issue of ethics or his previous call to reform campaign spending.

"Fortunately, he didn't use the [term] `our fiscal house is in order' because that's when I really get upset," said Senate Republican leader Frank Watson of Greenville, accusing Blagojevich of avoiding discussion of the diversion of pension contributions to other programs. "Our fiscal house is not in order."

Blagojevich directly addressed one controversy--his executive order requiring pharmacists to dispense contraceptives for women. Noting that some conservative lawmakers have filed legislation to overturn his order, the governor said, "If any of those bills reach my desk, they are dead on arrival."

Taking aim at Washington

Nearly two dozen times throughout his speech, Blagojevich chided Washington and its policies affecting health care, women, workers and seniors--though he never directly referred to Republicans who control Congress, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert of far west suburban Plano, or President Bush.

Reciting his efforts to raise the state's minimum wage, provide equal pay to women who do the same work as men, maintain overtime pay rules and expand prescription drug coverage to seniors, Blagojevich said the federal government has been "indifferent and sometimes hostile to the very people we've been trying to help."

"Some in Washington and many of the skeptics here in Illinois may disagree with our priorities," Blagojevich said. "But ask them this: What child's education would they cut? What working family would they raise taxes on? What child do they say should go without health care? What senior citizen do they believe should be left out in the cold?"

With Illinois having turned decidedly Democratic after decades as a presidential bellwether state, public opinion polls have shown the state's voters to be dissatisfied with Bush.

"He's found a fall guy," Republican candidate for governor Ron Gidwitz said of Blagojevich. "This year's fall guy is Washington. ... When does he take some responsibility for the 3 1/2 years he's been in office?"

Despite limited state resources, Blagojevich proposed new initiatives that included up to a $1,000 credit on state income taxes owed by parents for each child who is a freshman or sophomore at a public or private Illinois college and averages at least a B grade. The cost of the program would be $90 million a year, said Blagojevich budget director John Filan.

Contending that Blagojevich has repeatedly cut state support for higher education, Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, a GOP candidate for governor, said, "I'm glad he realizes that he attacked higher education at such a level he has to come back."

Blagojevich also proposed a pilot state-financed health-care program for impoverished, honorably discharged veterans who live at least 50 miles from federal Veterans Affairs health facilities. Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn estimated the cost of the proposal at $10 million in its first year.

Businessman Jim Oberweis, another contender for the March GOP primary nomination for governor, said Blagojevich's initiatives ignored the state's fiscal problems.

"In a drive to win votes using the people's money, this governor has given away everything from free health care to subsidized home loans for illegal aliens," he said in a statement.

Blagojevich also restated proposals that had been revealed in the days leading up to his speech, including a call for a state ban on semiautomatic assault weapons after a federal ban expired last year.

Governor silent on keno

Blagojevich made no mention of keno, a lottery-style game in which winning numbers would be flashed on television screens as frequently as every five minutes in thousands of taverns and restaurant lounges. Blagojevich has maintained that current lottery law allows him to authorize the game, but opposing lawmakers say it is an expansion of gambling. The governor was also criticized after revelations that some of his close political advisers represent keno operators.

Instead, Blagojevich sought to turn the public works issue away from increasing gambling to promoting an estimated 230,000 jobs that would be created in building new roads, bridges and schools.

State Senate President Emil Jones Jr. (D-Chicago) said the keno funding proposal, which he supports, was "not necessarily" dead. But he also said he could support an initiative for Internet gambling as an alternative funding source. An Internet gambling measure has previously won Senate approval.

Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, also a Republican candidate for governor, accused Blagojevich of living in "la-la land" and offering initiatives that were little more than "election-year pandering."

"The reality he was talking about [during the speech in the House chamber] is not the reality we see on the books every day, that we see out in the precincts, that we see on the streets," Topinka said. "It's not there. I don't know where this guy is coming from."

But Jones said the rhetoric from Republicans was to be expected.

"In an election year, you've got to expect all of the critics to do all these great things," he said, referring to proposals brought by candidates for governor. "But the most amazing thing to me is to make that tough decision. When you make tough decisions, you're going to step on toes."

 

Blagojevich Pushes Construction Plan, College Tax Credit In Speech

 

Governor Rod Blagojevich is using his State of the State address to promote a construction plan that he says will create 230,000 jobs.

The governor Wednesday is also proposing new aid to college students and better health care for veterans.

The Democrat's speech recapped many of the accomplishments of his first three years in office, from expanding health care for children to raising the minimum wage.

But the governor also admits there's more work to do.

His biggest proposal is a call for lawmakers to approve a $3.2 billion plan for new roads, mass transit and schools.

But Blagojevich's speech didn't address how to pay for the construction plan or what projects would be funded.

 

Governor Rod Blagojevich is applauding progress in the state and making a case for a fiscally responsible 2006. In his fourth state of the state address, the Governor championed the causes of healthcare, jobs, and education.

He proposed a $1000 annual tax credit for freshmen and sophomores attending college in Illinois. But he says it comes with one catch: Students would need to keep a B average or better to get the tax break.

Blagojevich proposed a $3.2 billion plan for new roads and schools.

He hopes to create 230,000 jobs in 2006, as well.

In an election year, the State of the State is about more than just plans to help Illinois. Governor Rod Blagojevich made his case for re-election. His critics were listening and were eager to respond.

With just two months until the Democratic and Republican primaries, the Governor delivered what amounts to a 40-minute campaign speech. He wants to be included in his own plans for Illinois. His challenge: to help the state, while getting re-elected.

“I'm asking you, I'm asking you to join me in supporting a major public works initiative,“ said Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Being an incumbent is like playing with the house's money, a factor not lost on gubernatorial hopeful, State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

“There was something for everybody, we were just shy of a chicken in every pot, I mean talk about spinning you can spin but you can't hide, he's living in la la land,” said Topinka.

“No law abiding citizen needs an Uzi, or an AK 47 to be safe or to hunt,” said Blagojevich.

Another challenger, State Senator Bill Brady, wants to make sure gun owners' rights are represented.

“I support the federal ban on automatic weapons, that's what works, this slippery definition of beyond that is not working,” said Brady.

“I'm announcing a plan that would ultimately lead to guarantee that every single veteran in Illinois has access to health care,“ said Blagojevich.

Businessman Ron Gidwitz would also like to see better access to healthcare, but this candidate for the state's top spot wonders where the money will come from.

“One way to solve the veterans problem is to give the veterans the jobs they're entitled to instead of as the governor's been doing, giving them to his cronies,“ said Gidwitz.

Only one GOP challenger will win the primary and will likely face Blagojevich in the general election, then get their own 40 minutes to campaign.

The Governor has not said if he will debate Democratic challenger Edwin Eisendrath before the primary on March 21.

Blagojevich pushes construction plan, college tax credit - John O'Connor

Republican lawmakers criticized Gov. Rod Blagojevich's State of the State address as long on ideas and short on specifics.

The Democratic governor's address, in what amounted to the opening salvo in a re-election campaign he has yet to announce, included a litany of past accomplishments and new plans, including a state construction program that would create 230,000 jobs.

"There are roads and bridges and highways across Illinois that need to be built and need to be fixed," Blagojevich said Wednesday in his fourth State of the State speech. "We need to build new schools and help commuters who rely on mass transit."

Blagojevich, who has filed to run for a second term but has not announced his plans, also proposed a $90 million tax credit for college students, expanded health care for veterans, and breaks for buyers of cars that save gasoline - all quickly criticized by Republicans because the governor didn't say how he would pay for them.

"Everything he mentioned means more spending or more borrowing, and we don't have any money," said Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville.

The Democratic governor recapped many of his accomplishments during the 39-minute speech, from expanding health care for children to raising the minimum wage. He boasted of resolving massive budget deficits without raising taxes.

He also used the speech to warn conservatives that he will veto any effort to overturn his executive order requiring pharmacists to fill emergency birth-control prescriptions despite moral misgivings, and he will try to revive an assault-weapons ban that failed last year.

But Blagojevich, whose administration is under federal and state investigations into its hiring practices, made no mention of ethics issues, a hot topic among his gubernatorial opponents, including a slew of Republicans and even a primary challenger from his own party.

Republicans described the appearance as a masterful political address with little basis in reality, hammering Blagojevich for increasing spending and borrowing to pay for politically popular plans.

The centerpiece of the speech was a $3.2 billion plan for new roads, mass transit and schools - something Blagojevich predicts will create 230,000 jobs once $3 billion in federal matching funds are included.

"These are good jobs. Jobs that pay good wages and good benefits," he said. "These are jobs that give families a chance to build a future."

New state construction has been stalled for years in Springfield amid disputes about how to pay for it and what projects would be funded.

He didn't talk about funding sources Wednesday, but Blagojevich has proposed borrowing $2.3 billion for road projects, $425 million for mass transit and $500 million for school construction. He would pay back the loan with $200 million a year from the state's road-building fund, which he says has a surplus; $35 million from increased tax revenue in an improved economy; and $45 million for schools from a new gambling game - keno in bars and restaurants.

Republicans, and some Democrats, have criticized the idea, particularly the use of keno.

Sen. Carol Ronen, D-Chicago, suggested Blagojevich left keno out of the speech to show he's flexible on how to fund the program. Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican running to replace Blagojevich, said he hopes the omission means the governor has learned he won't get approval for it.

Blagojevich left other things out, too.

He didn't propose funding sources for his other programs, including a $1,000 annual tax credit for college freshmen and sophomores and a $500 sales-tax rebate costing $7.5 million for buyers of fuel-efficient cars.

His idea of offering health insurance to military veterans who lack it and don't live close to a veterans hospital would cost $10 million, but Blagojevich said nothing about where to find the money.

"This was everything shy of a chicken in every pot. It's La-La Land," said Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, a top Republican challenger for the governor's office.

Rep. Gary Hannig of Litchfield, the House Democrats' budget negotiator, said the costs of the governor's plans will come next month when Blagojevich proposes a budget for the coming fiscal year. "Now he needs to present a balanced budget that includes his initiatives and funds state government," Hannig said.

GOP lawmakers wondered whether Blagojevich actually is running for national office, the way he attacked Washington. The governor criticized the federal government more than 20 times, portraying national Republicans as insensitive while Illinois continued to make gains in education and health care.

"Why can't this governor take some responsibility for himself?" asked GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz of Chicago.

DAILY SOUTHTOWN

Blago critics: Where's the money? - Kristen McQueary
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsindex/19-ds4.htm

Itching to reclaim the governor's mansion, Republicans on Wednesday censured Gov. Rod Blagojevich's annual State of the State address, describing it as a wish list the state cannot afford.

"How is he going to pay for this?" asked Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, who hopes to oust Blagojevich from the governor's mansion in November. "There are a lot of promises here, but if we can't pay for them, it really hurts people. They don't trust you."

In his fourth address before the General Assembly, Blagojevich summarized his accomplishments while avoiding mention of alleged ethical questions that could derail his re-election efforts.

His idea to raise money for schools by installing state-sponsored Keno games in restaurants saw little support among lawmakers.

"Keno is as alive as the Peotone airport," quipped Steve Brown, spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Increased funding for health care — including a plan to provide health coverage for uninsured Illinois children — topped Blagojevich's list of accomplishments. His All Kids Health Insurance Plan is scheduled to enroll its first beneficiaries this summer.

Blagojevich called for a new tax credit of $1,000 for families with freshmen or sophomores in college who maintain a B grade point average. The credit would cost the state $90 million a year in lost revenue, according to Blagojevich's budget director John Filan, and would begin this fall if lawmakers approve it.

"Yes, this is a generous tax credit," Blagojevich said. "But that's what makes it meaningful."

He also called for a $500 sales tax rebate to buyers of fuel-efficient cars and called for a new ban on assault weapons.

"It's a legitimate question: How are you going to pay for this? But I believe taxation is part of government," state Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) said. "I would like to see him look at an income tax adjustment or possibly the sales tax."

Blagojevich pushed a capital spending bill that would fund road, transit and school improvements statewide, including the widening of Interstate 55 near Joliet. The plan is controversial, however, because it would be funded through borrowing and through Keno games in bars and restaurants. Gambling opponents called Blagojevich's Keno idea an expansion of gaming, which he promised to block as a candidate four years ago. Blagojevich has said Keno is merely an extension of the lottery, not a new gambling measure.

"We feel (Keno) is a reasonable way to pay for a school construction plan," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said. "It's a means to an end. If there are other ideas, we're willing to review them, but what really matters is (improving schools)."

Blagojevich didn't mention Keno in his speech. Reports last week that a firm represented by a key Blagojevich ally is positioned to win the Keno contract added extra sting to the already controversial idea. It also gave Blagojevich's opponents more leverage to discredit him. Blagojevich — who didn't take questions from reporters after his speech — has maintained that his friend did not lobby him on the Keno idea and that the contract will be competitively bid.

"No one can trust what he says," Topinka said. "He's in la-la land."

"There was not one mention of ethics reform," said Bill Brady, a Bloomington lawmaker seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination. "We need a candidate who is pure, who's not being investigated."

Ottenhoff said Blagojevich introduced a comprehensive ethics package last year, and "there were discussions" to get it off the ground. Lawmakers like Brady, she said, didn't have the will to pass it.

"I told the governor I'd be happy to support his initiative if he leveled the playing field," Brady said. "His legislation allowed him to keep his $15 million (campaign fund)."

Democratic Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) defended Blagojevich, saying Republicans who criticized him don't offer their own solutions.

"We know what they're against. What are they for? Let them suggest another proposal," Jones said.

Though he hasn't formally launched a re-election bid, Blagojevich is expected to face former Chicago Ald. Ed Eisendrath in the Democratic primary. Eisendrath has criticized Blagojevich for failing to live up to his reform image. Since Blagojevich's election in 2002, some of his friends have been tied to lucrative state contracts. Blagojevich acknowledged responding to federal investigators after allegations surfaced that his campaign contributors received state appointments. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

“Illinois today is now leading the nation in taking steps that help real people, people who work, middle class families, build better lives,” Mr. Blagojevich declared in his annual State of the State speech even as his political foes released statements ridiculing his claims. “We are making real progress—but there is much more to do.”

In a speech that largely focused on his record, Mr. Blagojevich also pushed his proposed $3.2 billion capital spending program and announced a flurry of new initiatives aimed at helping veterans get health care, students pay for a college education, and drivers purchase fuel-efficient vehicles.

“We can never allow ourselves to go back,” the Chicago Democrat told a joint session of the Illinois House and Senate. “And we can never settle for how far we’ve come.”

Mr. Blagojevich’s main boast was that, having inherited a multi-billion-dollar state budget deficit from GOP Gov. George Ryan, he balanced the books while implementing his campaign promises.

“A lot of people said you couldn’t increase funding for schools, provide health care for kids, eliminate the deficit and do it all without raising taxes. But we found a different way,” Mr. Blagojevich said.

He also stressed approval of his plan to rebuild the Illinois tollway system without boosting tolls for most users, a boost in the state’s minimum wage, and recent gains in employment after a long and deep recession.

But tacitly conceding that the state’s economy remains relatively weak, Mr. Blagojevich described his infrastructure plan as a “job bill” that would create 230,000 jobs building roads, schools and mass transit facilities.

One subject Mr. Blagojevich didn’t talk about was a series of play-to-play scandals which have haunted his administration, and political foes were quick to attack.

“He promised he’d be one kind of governor, but has in fact been something else,” charged former Chicago Alderman Edwin Eisendrath (43rd), who is opposing Mr. Blagojevich in the Democratic primary. “He’s a good politician, but unfortunately not much else.”

GOP challenger Ron Gidwitz said the incumbent balanced the budget only by doubling the state’s debt to $20 billion and “raiding” the state’s pension plans. And when it comes to new jobs, Illinois ranks 46th in the nation, Mr. Gidwitz said.

Among new proposals Mr. Blagojevich unveiled in his budget was a “veterans care” system that would guarantee health benefits to low-income vets who do not live near federal veterans’ hospitals. He also urged approval of a $500 sales-tax rebate to anyone who buys a fuel-efficient car in Illinois, and approval of a $1,000 annual tax credit for each freshman or sophomore who attends a college of university in the state.

Cost estimates on the new programs were not immediately available.

NAPERVILLE SUN

Furstenau free on bail after arrest  Councilman charged with striking police officer - Kate Houlihan and Bill Bird

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/top/n19furst.htm

Veteran Naperville City Council member and Illinois Senate candidate Richard Furstenau was released Wednesday night on bail after being arrested and charged in the alleged New Year's Day battery of a Naperville police officer.

Furstenau, 61, confirmed Wednesday night he was freed after posting $300 bail, the mandatory 10 percent of the $3,000 bond that had been set in the case.

A warrant for Furstenau's arrest had been issued earlier Wednesday following completion of a Naperville police investigation into the alleged battery.

"The Naperville Police Department has obtained a misdemeanor complaint and warrant for the offense of battery against Mr. Furstenau," said Sgt. Joel Truemper, internal affairs and public information officer for the department.

The warrant was issued from DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton after review of the case by State's Attorney Joe Birkett's office, Truemper said.

It grew out of an alleged confrontation between Furstenau and an officer Jan. 1 on Chicago Avenue before the start of the city's 175th-anniversary parade.

Truemper said the complaint reads "without legal justification, Richard Furstenau knowingly made physical contact of an insulting nature with (an officer,) in that he struck (the officer) in the chest with the back of his hand."

Earlier this month, Furstenau told The Sun the incident stemmed from an argument over cars being towed from Chicago Avenue before the start of the parade.

Furstenau said then he did not hit an officer, although he asked police why the cars were being towed. He also said then he did not believe he was physically near the officer who alleged being struck by him.

"If I were to hit somebody, they would feel it and I would know that I hit somebody and so would they," he said earlier this month. "I just don't do those things. I've never in my life just popped off and hit somebody, even when I was a kid."

Furstenau late Wednesday night stood by his earlier contentions.

"My story hasn't changed. I've got an attorney and he's going to be handling it," he Furstenau said, adding he and his lawyer expected to discuss the matter in a meeting later today.

Battery of a police officer is technically aggravated battery, classified as a felony. Truemper said there have been "numerous times in the past where a police officer was battered" by someone and yet only a misdemeanor charge was authorized by Birkett's office.

"In this particular case, aggravated battery was not authorized," Truemper said.

Furstenau is charged with a class A misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Mayor George Pradel said late Wednesday night he was saddened to hear of Furstenau's arrest.

"My heart is broken, but there's nothing we really have to worry about" concerning Furstenau's ability to continue serving on the council, Pradel said. "He can't be thrown off (the council) because it's not (an allegation of) a crime for corruption or anything like that."

City Council members Jim Boyajian, Mary Ellingson, Doug Krause, Kenn Miller and John Rosanova all declined to comment when reached Wednesday night.

"He's been charged and has to wait for his day in court" was all Krause would say on the matter.

Rosanova added, "Understanding that it's in the courts right now, it's probably not appropriate for me to comment."

"It's unfortunate, is all I can say right now," Rosanova said. "It's an unfortunate situation."

City Council members Darlene Senger and Grant Wehrli did not return phone messages Wednesday night.

Furstenau, a two-term City Council member and Naperville Township Republican committeeman, is running in the upcoming Republican primary for the 48th District seat held by state Sen. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton.

He faces state Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Winfield, in that contest.

Hultgren could not be reached for comment late Wednesday on Furstenau's arrest.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Martin files lawsuit against Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and its president and chief executive officer, Mike Skarr, and vice president of marketing and legislative communications, Laura Crawford; the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and its president and CEO, Douglas Whitley, and vice president of government affairs, Todd Maisch; North Central College and its president, Harold R. Wilde; Fox Valley Publications, parent company of The Naperville Sun; CBS Broadcasting Inc., parent company of CBS 2, and Carol Fowler, news director at CBS 2 - Kathy Cichon

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/news/n19martin.htm

Republican candidate Andy Martin of Chicago filed a lawsuit against multiple organizations Wednesday afternoon, saying he has been "arbitrarily and capriciously" excluded from next week's gubernatorial debate.

"The whole purpose of a debate is the exchange of views and seeing the range of views that are available, and not to exclude people," Martin said. "I don't think the judge is going to be very happy because there's no basis on which they included and (didn't include) people."

The Chicago resident is one of five Republican candidates running in the March 21 primary election. The other Republican candidates are Illinois Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, Jim Oberweis of Aurora and Ron Gidwitz of Chicago. Martin is the only candidate who did not receive an invitation to the Jan. 25 debate.

"I plan to call in the morning and see if I can get an emergency hearing," Martin said by phone Wednesday evening.

The debate is being organized by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business and the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. Media sponsors include CBS 2 and The Naperville Sun. North Central College will host the event.

Martin filed his lawsuit at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday. Named as defendants are the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and its president and chief executive officer, Mike Skarr, and vice president of marketing and legislative communications, Laura Crawford; the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce and its president and CEO, Douglas Whitley, and vice president of government affairs, Todd Maisch; North Central College and its president, Harold R. Wilde; Fox Valley Publications, parent company of The Naperville Sun; CBS Broadcasting Inc., parent company of CBS 2, and Carol Fowler, news director at CBS 2.

All the aforementioned defendants declined comment when contacted Wednesday afternoon.

Also named in the lawsuit is the National Federation of Independent Business.

Martin, a consultant and freelance columnist, delayed plans to file the case by one day Tuesday so he could file a lawsuit to block Gov. Rod Blagojevich's proposal to adopt keno gambling in Illinois.

Questions Robert John wants asked of Republican gubernatorial candidates

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/news/n19turn.htm

Questions to ask candidates: 1) It's well-known Chicago is a sanctuary city unconstitutionally protecting illegal aliens. If you were governor, what action would you take to round up, arrest, jail and/or deport the large influx of illegal aliens overrunning our state?

2) What would you do to ensure every law-abiding citizen, according his or her constitutional right, be afforded the opportunity to carry a concealed weapon?

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday defended Sen. Hillary Clinton for describing the House of Representatives as a "plantation," saying he felt her choice of words referred to a "consolidation of power" in Washington that squeezes out the voters.

The senator told CNN's "American Morning" he believed that Clinton was merely expressing concern that special interests play such a large role in writing legislation that "the ordinary voter and even members of Congress who aren't in the majority party don't have much input."

"There's been a consolidation of power by the Republican Congress and this White House in which, if you are the ordinary voter, you don't have access," Obama said. "... That should be a source of concern for all of us."

Obama, D-Ill., also told ABC's "Good Morning America" that under GOP control in Washington, "what one has seen is the further concentration of power around a very narrow agenda that advantages the most powerful."

Clinton, D-N.Y., who is seeking re-election this year and is a potential presidential candidate in 2008, said during a Martin Luther King Day event in Harlem this week that the House "has been run like a plantation," in that "nobody with a contrary view has had a chance to present legislation, to make an argument, to be heard."

Obama also said New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was correct to apologize for suggesting that the hurricane-ravaged city would be majority black again because "it's the way God wants it to be."

"If I'm the mayor of New Orleans, I want everybody to come back," said Obama, the Senate's only black member.

GIDWIDZ-RAUSCHENBERGER CAMPAIGN

Nostradamus Has Nothing on Gidwitz/Rauschenberger

http://www.ron2006.com/news/default.asp?s=832

SPRINGFIELD, IL... Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz and his running mate for Lt. Governor Steve Rauschenberger correctly predicted yesterday that Governor Blagojevich would dodge five critical issues in his State of the State Address today.

As expected, the Governor failed to own up to: the mountain of debt he has piled up; the economic malaise that has Illinois lagging its Midwest neighbors in job creation and which was brought by his taxing-and-spending-and-borrowing-and-spending; Illinois' underperforming public school system that is failing to provide children with equal opportunities; and Illinois' massively and increasingly underfunded state pension systems (approaching $39 billion).

Instead, the Governor engaged in blame shifting, attempting to pin responsibility for Illinois' woes on policymakers in Washington, D.C.

"When Blagojevich was in Washington and running for Governor he blamed the politicians here," observed Gidwitz. "Now he blames the politicians in Washington."

"We need a Governor who will stand up and be accountable for what occurs on his watch," Gidwitz said. "There are 49 other states that live under the federal rules too but they don't seem to be plagued with the same problems we face in Illinois under this Governor."

Most conspicuous by its absence in the speech was any mention by the Governor of the culture of corruption that is ruining Illinois. Stories of Illinois pay-to-play political system have dominated the headlines and the political landscape for the past seven years.

Yet, Governor Blagojevich had nothing to say on the subject.

"At least he didn't insult our intelligence and tell us he was going to 'end business-as-usual' again," said Rauschenberger. "After mortgaging our state's future to line the pockets of the connected insiders in Springfield, I suppose there really isn't much this Governor can legitimately say about reforming the culture of corruption."

Gidwitz and Rauschenberger responded to the Governor's address by renewing their challenge to the other gubernatorial candidates, including Governor Blagojevich, to sign on to the sweeping ethics and campaign finance reform package the two introduced earlier this month.

Gidwitz added that he believed the Governor's speech would only increase the intensity of citizen's calls for change in Springfield.

"Middle class families are hurting in Illinois and this Governor spent an hour today trying to convince them that they are not," said Gidwitz. "The Governor and the political insiders in Springfield are out of touch. They can't fix the problems when they won't even own up to the extent of the problems. We need fundamental change in state government and that is what my candidacy for Governor is all about."

Murtha: Worth His Medals? - Dotty Lynch

Jack Murtha has been driving Republicans nuts since November but they have been very reluctant to attack him frontally. But this weekend, just before Murtha went on CBS' 60 Minutes to push his exit strategy from Iraq, the CybercastNews Service.com (formerly Conservative News Service) blasted not his plan, but his bona fides as a war hero.

The attack, reminiscent of the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth charges against John Kerry, came in the form of an "investigative" story by CNSNews.com reporters Marc Morano and Randy Hall questioning the legitimacy of Murtha's Purple Hearts. Cybercast News Service is a subsidiary of conservative media critic Brent Bozell's Media Research Center. It bears some similarity to Talon News, the old stomping ground of Jeff Gannon, which had to close down last year after Gannon's legitimacy as a real reporter was questioned. But CNSNews.com has been around for a while.

The news service was founded in 1998 as an alternative to allegedly liberally biased news services. It has a staff of 12 reporters in the U.S. and abroad who file stories for the Cybercast News Web site and for subscribers, like GOPUSA, who pay to put the content on their sites. Most staffers have conservative credentials, as well as some type of reporting background, and they claim to be reputable journalists catering to a conservative audience. Marc Moreno, who wrote the article on Murtha, is a former producer for the Rush Limbaugh Show, and his bio touts a real coup: he was the first journalist to have his camera confiscated by the Clinton White House. Their reporters are credentialed to cover the U.S. Congress, the State Department, the Pentagon, the European Parliament and the Israeli Knesset. They say they haven't tried to get a "hard pass" for the White House lately, but can get access via day passes.

On Friday night, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann named CNSNews.com president Brent Bozell that day's "worst person in the world," and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called the article "scurrilous." Some liberal blogs, including the Huffington Post charged that CNSNews.com was doing dirty work for the White House and Karl Rove, a suggestion vigorously denied by David Thibault, editor-in-chief of CNSNews.com.

"I have never met or exchanged e-mails with Karl Rove and the last time I met George Bush was when I was following him around as a reporter," Thibault told me. Thibault, like most of the CNS News staff, has a reporting background as well as partisan ties. He worked for a couple of local Washington, D.C., TV stations before joining the staff of the RNC and working on the Hill for New Hampshire Sen. (then-Congressman) Judd Gregg.

He said the reason for doing the article, which regurgitated charges that surfaced in Murtha's House campaigns over the years, was that the establishment media has ignored them because Murtha was carrying their water. "There is a tendency in the establishment media to give a pass to people who criticize the administration," Thibault told me. He says the questions about the medals are legitimate because Murtha and the antiwar left are using his decorated status for political advantage.

There is no doubt that virtually every article about Murtha mentions his 37 years of service in the Marines and the Purple Hearts, but much of his credibility comes from his years of work with the Defense Department and the military. There is a well-founded belief in Washington that Murtha is in sync with many generals and military officials who can't go public in questioning the administration's Iraq policy. But clearly some conservatives think that if they can raise questions about Murtha's integrity and military record, his clout can be diminished.

Murtha has given skittish Democrats a way to talk about getting out of Iraq without looking like wimps, but some pundits are questioning whether this is working to the Democrats' advantage. Congressional election analyst Charlie Cook has suggested that "Democrats, most notably Murtha" have changed the focus from Bush's mistakes to a debate over how and when to get out.

The irony is that Murtha may be doing the Republicans some good. As John Kerry discovered, what he did in Vietnam doesn't matter to voters in the 21st century nearly as much as what he has done for them lately. And the 72-year-old Murtha is clearly working on his current record, not sitting around polishing the old medals.