So, do the rest of you now have some idea of the depth of corruption in Chicago and Illinois, and why some of us were so concerned about electing a president who emerges from this cesspool?

There's no evidence to link President-elect Barack Obama to the latest scandal, but the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for allegedly trying to sell Obama's now-vacant U.S. Senate seat and engaging in other attempted shakedowns appears to have stunned the nation, judging by the reaction of network anchors and other media. Brazen, appalling, unbelievable, they say. But for those of us who have spent a lifetime covering the news here, it's how it works.

True, the extent and audacity of Blagojevich's alleged illegalities are remarkable even for Illinois. No one has been caught trying to kill an $8 million state grant to the city's leading children's hospital because one of its executives didn't cough up a $50,000 campaign contribution. But it is impossible to convincingly assert that he has taken the art form to an entirely new level because unless U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald uncovers it, we can't claim to know how bad the corruption really is.

Blagojevich, if convicted, would be the second Illinois governor in a row to go to federal prison. And he would be the fourth of the last eight Illinois governors to be convicted felons. Is there another state that can match such a proud record?

From former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski to Chicago aldermen to city inspectors, the miscreants and malefactors have worn a steady path to prison, in numbers too many to accurately count. Graft and corruption are the city and state's orthodoxy. The last governor, George Ryan, currently resides in federal prison, and you'd think that no self-respecting politician would want to have anything to do with him. But, just in the last week, Blagojevich and Dick Durbin, Illinois' senior Democratic senator and a big cog in the political machinery here, asked President George W. Bush to grant Ryan clemency. Bad timing, I'd say.

Consider: If anyone is truly a crook, it's the public official who demands a political contribution from someone who is seeking a contract from the same official. There ought to be a law against it, but not in Illinois. Cynthia Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) recently noted:

"So many big campaign contributors have wound up with state contracts that Illinois has won a reputation as a state where you have to pay a campaign fund to win a government contract. Over time, pay-to-play schemes seemed so numerous that some honest contractors stopped trying to do business with state government, driving up costs to taxpayers and making Illinoisans question the honesty and fairness of their state government."

In other words, it was a way of life, not just for Blagojevich, but also for uncounted government officials here. Finally, after years and years of trying, the Illinois Legislature passed legislation banning political contributions by state contractors to the officeholder awarding the contract. Blagojevich vetoed the bill, arguing--obviously disingenuously--that it didn't "go far enough." Undoubtedly, it didn't, but for Illinois, it was a stunning advance. Legislators overrode the veto, probably not so much out of enthusiasm for the new law, but because they had been fighting with the contentious, out-of-control governor. Beginning January 1, those contributions at last will become illegal, which is one reason why Blagojevich may have been working so hard recently to raise the money.

Rare, indeed, is the politician who works within this system who isn't dirtied by it. Obama was both a part of it, but not a part of it. He got his start without the critical support of the Chicago Machine, but most recently has endorsed even the most dubious of the state and local Democratic candidates. Obama ran his campaign as the guy who don't know nobody and managed to rise above the city and state's unseemly political reputation.

His reaction to the Blagojevich arrest was right in character. Asked about it at a press conference, Obama replied that he is "saddened and sobered" by the arrest, but because it is an "an ongoing investigation" his comment now would be inappropriate.

Perhaps so, but those of us in Illinois recognize the statement as a standard dodge. Obama could have done himself and the state a big favor by condemning corruption in all its forms, including in Illinois and Chicago. If he's done it before, I haven't noticed. But he did go to Kenya to denounced corruption in Africa, which struck some commentators here as hypocrisy.

Also hypocritical are the many politicians, such as Durbin, who now are scrambling to distance themselves from Blagojevich--no surprise there. Obama himself vaguely said he had not been in contact with Blagojevich or his office, presumably about the senate appointment.

One might assume that corruption in Illinois is a matter of politics--Democrats control all state offices. But in Illinois, corruption and insider dealing is bi-partisan. Ryan, it should be noted, is a Republican. Republicans high and low gladly have worked with Democrats when, as they say here, they "smell the meat a cooking."

Illinois voters' tolerance for graft is extraordinarily high. For some, graft is a small price to pay for government that works. Perhaps the charges against Blagojevich will finally prompt a housecleaning. But the next election is almost two years away, and memories are, sadly, short.