So now, after a two-day media blitz that saw Rod Blagojevich appear on like 300 national television shows, America finally has an understanding of what it's like to live in Illinois.  Blagojevich's "I'm MLK, Gahndi and Mandela wrapped up into one experiencing a personal Pearl Harbor" routine is deluded, self-serving, excessively dramatic, and even more pathetic.

But it's merely an amped up version of what he's been doing publicly on a daily basis in the state of Illinois for the last seven years. Only recently has America become clued in on the fact that we have a cross between Al Capone, Elvis, and a carnival barker as our Chief Executive.

The good news is that at least one part of the Blago act should be coming to an end soon. He'll be removed from office by the State Senate shortly, which will not only put an end to the current drama but also take away, at least to a certain degree, his bully pulpit.

Blago will still be able to generate media attention, of course, and he'll still be in the news as the criminal case proceeds. The good news for America is that, aside from an occasional headline or a two-second video clip on cable news of the former Governor walking in and out of the court building downtown, they won't have to put up with  Blago any more. He'll be yesterday's news.

For those of us who live in Illinois, however, the horror show won't end so abruptly. Long after America has finished giggling at our Governor, we'll still see him preening before the cameras on the evening news. It's enough to make one want to cancel the cable subscription or move to another state where politics isn't such a circus. Obviously, that rules out New York.