Will Rod duck the Tribune?

Amazingly, there's still a question whether the sitting governor will show up tomorrow before the editorial board of the state's largest newspaper.

Rod Blagojevich seemed to be testing out arguments today he would use if he decides at the last minute to duck the appearance.

Blagojevich on Monday jokingly referred to the Tribune editorial board's endorsement session as appearing before "the Republican National Committee." The Tribune has historically endorsed GOP candidates for president, but has endorsed candidates of both parties for other offices.

Why would Rod duck the joint appearance with Judy Baar Topinka? The main reason is this. He can't duck and dodge questions about the $1,500 check in front of the newspaper that broke the story. He'll have to explain why he laundered the money using his seven-year-old daughter.

He'll also have to explain to the Tribune editorial board why he used the Tribune to launder a lie in his TV commercial.

Here's what he did:

1. Made up a lie about Judy Baar Topinka (about health care).

2. Found an article in Chicago Tribune that quoted his lie.

3. Attributed lie to Tribune in the ad.

The paper already noticed the stunt.

Meanwhile, Blagojevich defended a new TV ad that attacks his Republican opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, using an out-of-context reference to an August Chicago Tribune article.

In the ad, a narrator says Topinka "has pledged to dismantle Illinois' health care program for kids" while nearly identical wording appears on the TV screen, giving the source of the allegation as a Tribune article.

The ad does not mention that the story reflected a criticism of Topinka leveled by the governor's budget director, John Filan. Topinka has said she wants to continue Blagojevich's All Kids state-subsidized children's health-insurance program but place a $100,000 income limit on families who qualify.

I have a feeling Rod is going to call in sick tomorrow.

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