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CHICAGO (WBBM) - U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush said he is appalled by the charges and by what it could mean for the selection of the next U.S. senator from Illinois.
Rush called on Blagojevich to resign.
The criticism is not surprising; Rush (D-Ill.) has never been a big fan of Blagojevich.
"I don't see how he can govern," Rush said, calling for the governor to resign. "This guy, to be honest and frank, had a hard time governing before he was charged."
Rush is not seeking the Senate seat. He has spearheaded a petition drive seeking to assure that whomever is named to replace Mr. Obama in the Senate is African-American.
Some have called for a special election to select a successor to Mr. Obama in the Senate. Rush sees a big downside for black candidates.
"We would be hard-pressed to come up with the money and the mechanism to elect an African-American in the next two or three months." Rush said he believes the people of Illinois deserve a new senator in three months or less.
But he said if Blagojevich names a successor to Mr. Obama, no matter who it is, that person will be at a "serious disadvantage" when standing for election in 2010 because of the pay-for-play cloud the charges have cast over the process.