Too Bad He Didn't List It on eBay

In the waning days of the presidential campaign, desperate Republicans tried to portray Obama and the Demnocrats as "socialists." One has to wonder if the clowns making these allegations had the vaguest notion of just what socialism is, especially since it was their own Republican President who had just orchestrated a massive $700 billion bailout of several financial institutions.

In light of the socialism charges, it is all the more ironic that the Democratic governor of of Illinois has just been ensnared in a case of capitalism run amok.

First, a civics lesson: When one of the two U.S. Senate seats of a state become vacant before the conclusion of its six year term, it falls to the state's governor to appoint an interim Senator until a special election can be held. Such is the case with Obama's Senate seat in Illinois. Having won the presidential election, Obama resigned from his senate seat late last month. It thus fell to Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich to appoint someone to fill the vacancy. While the appointment would have been temporary, any occupant of the seat would have a built-in advantage going into the special election.

So how did Blagojevich decide to fill the seat? Well, rather than do something predictable and boring, like looking through a list of qualified individuals and selecting someone on the basis of merit, he decided to solicit bids. Some members of the law enforcement community failed to fully appreciate this bold entrepreneurial process and instead decided to arrest Blagojevich on charges of conspiracy and bribery.

Well, I guess one man's capitalism is another man's felony corruption.