The governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was arrested today on charges that he was trying to "sell" President-elect Obama's Senate seat. The Democrat was caught on tape saying the position “is a f***ing valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.” It's assumed that in exchange for appointing Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett to the post, Blagojevich hoped for "the job as secretary of health and human services … a well-paid position on a foundation board, or millions of dollars for a nonprofit organization that he would run." This is bad news for the state of Illinois, which has been struggling with political corruption for decades (their last governor is currently in jail), and it's also bad news for Obama himself, whose team is now going to undergo scrutiny over any involvement in the issue.

Blago: A Senate seat is a 'f***ing valuable thing' [Politico]