Sun-Times endorses corruption

When a newspaper (Sun-Times) spends the first sentences in an endorsement (Blagojevich) trying to inoculate itself against potential indictments related to the person it is endorsing, it might be time to pick a different person to endorse.

Endorsing a candidate with more than 2½ weeks left in the campaign is a little like calling a horse race in the last lap -- anything could happen before the finish line. Each day can bring a revelation affecting a campaign.

And this...

There's no denying the cloud of scandal over his administration. One of his chief fund-raisers, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, was indicted last week for alleged shakedowns for campaign contributions. More revelations likely will come right before the election when power broker Stuart Levine is expected to plead guilty. The governor said the charges against Rezko, if true, represent a personal betrayal by Rezko, and that he himself has never been involved in any unethical or illegal fund-raising. Our experience with Blagojevich prompts us to take him at his word. We've chosen to give him the benefit of the doubt and endorse him for a number of reasons.

There's no need spending a lot of time analyzing this endorsement. It makes little sense. It ignores what is real -- a gathering storm of indictments -- and elevates what is not, Rod's hollow health care gimmicks.

What the Sun-Times has not prepared its readers for are indictments before the Levine plea agreement. I am picking up strong signals that some of Rod's close associates could be indicted as soon as next week. We'll see. In the meantime, the Sun-Times editorial board should more carefully read the stories written by its own reporters and others, and the telltale court filings by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to get a clue where this is headed.

Hint: The Sun-Times will eat this endorsement -- it's just a matter of when.

Technorati Tags: Chris Kelly, corruption, Illinois, Stu Levine, Tony Rezko