Burnt Orange Report

Just an FYI, Fitzpatrick is the USA (US Attorney) that brought the corruption charges against former Illinois Governor Ryan.

Fitzpatrick is hardly an independent investigator. He is, as all USAs are, a political appointee who answers to John Ashcroft. I confess I know little about Fitzpatricks' background, but I do know how the US Attorneys Offices work (having worked in one myself). The USAs are NOT independent - they are subordinates of Main Justice in DC. (This administration especially has a reputation for reigning in any autonomous decision making at the local US Att. Office level).

First of all, to WhoMe?: It's Fitzgerald NOT Fitzpatrick. If anything, there seems to be a shortage of surnames among Illinois Republicans.
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Local hardline Republicans here in Illinois were disappointed when Sen. Peter Fitzgerald pushed for the appointment of Patrick Fitzgerald (no relation) as U.S. Attorney for the district of Northern Illinois. Patrick F. was seen as too impartial and not partisan enough by hardcore Bushies. Indeed, his appointment was greeted with praise by the local media and relief by local Democrats.
Patrick F. has been especially tenacious in pursuing corruption charges in the office of former Secretary of State (and later Governor) George Ryan.
Dissatisfaction by the local GOP in the choice of Patrick F. by Peter F. may have been a contributing factor in the latter's decision not to seek re-nomination in the Republican primary this March.

In 2002, Democratic Congressman Rod Blagojevich defeated Republican Attorney General Jim Ryan and became Illinois' first Democratic governor in 26 years. While Rod probably would have won anyway, he was certainly helped by the fact that many voters confused Jim Ryan with Gov. George Ryan (no relation). Patrick F. already had an impressive conviction rate against the then governor's cronies and associates. While George Ryan is best know outside the state for his opposition to the death penalty, much of the media coverage he's gotten in Illinois over the past few years has focused on corruption charges.
The frontrunner for the GOP nomination to succeed Sen. Fitzgerald is Jack Ryan (no relation to either George or Jim). It's possible that the George Ryan case may be going to trial close to election day. So there is yet another opportunity for Illinois voters to mix up Ryans and elect a Democrat, hopefully State Sen. Barack Obama.
It makes you wish all Illinois Republicans were named Ryan.

Certainly nobody is 100% free of political bias. But locally, the feeling is that Patrick Fitzgerald is as good as it gets. It's not likely he would tarnish the excellent reputation he's gotten in Illinois and New York by permitting himself to become a willing dupe for John Ashcroft or even Karl Rove.
I don't know if there would be dancing in the streets outside the ACLU offices if Patrick Fitzgerald somehow became U.S. attorney general, though they might go for an extra round of beers.
And let's not forget that Justice John Paul Stevens was appointed by Republican President Gerald Ford.

Tim Z,

Thanks for the correction on Fitzgerald v. Fitzpatrick - All those Irish names sound alike to me. :) I was aware of Ryan's follies, which outside of Illinois seemed to have initially been reported as incidents within the agency responsible for commercial driver's licenses.

I am glad to hear that the USA-NDIL has a reputation of even-handedness. Nonetheless, my suspicions still linger because of the structure of the DOJ. The USAs are very much tied to Main DOJ by an umbilical cord.

Thanks for the insight into Illinois politics. By the way, who took over Dan Rostenkowski's seat?

In the wake of the postage stamp scandal, Rostenkowski was defeated in 1994 by Republican nobody, Michael Flanagan.
In 1996, Rod Blagojevich defeated Flanagan who found his way back into political obscurity.
Rod served three terms before becoming governor.
With redistricting after the 2000 census, the district got shoved a bit northward. It was no longer necessary to include the old Rostenkowski homestead near Noble Street and the Kennedy Expressway. The newer district, IL-5, is represented by former Clinton advisor Rahm Emanuel. Rahm has close ties to Mayor Daley who took the unusual step of backing Rahm in the 2002 primary.
Friends who live in the 5th district tell me that Rahm maintains a high profile and is generally well regarded by his constituents.

On www.bushflash.com, there is a good link to a story about US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald for those unfamilar with his background (like me up until now). He is a native New Yorker and was a career prosecutor in the US Attorneys office for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan, Bronx, Westchester, a few other counties, but NOT Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island). He developed a reputation for prosecuting the WTC bombing case (known as one of the "bomb boys").

Apparently, Sen. Fitzgerald (no relation) wanted someone as USA-NDIL with no ties to the local political establishment because Illinois politics are known as being so crooked, he wanted someone who had no apparent conflicts of interest.

Tim, thanks for the info on Rostenkowski's old seat. I was curios whether Shakowski was the successor, but you cleared it up. I looked at the boundaries of the Ill 5th - it is kind of hard to tell, but it appears to have Lincoln Park, Lakeview, maybe some of Near North, and some of suburban Cook County.

If the Rethuglican Re-ReDistricting map holds up in TX, I would love to see Illinois even the playing field (don't we have the numbers to set things straight in PA too?). The Rethuglicans started this, and we cannot lose the arms race.