Zorn way off on Blagojevich/Mell dispute

Zorn gets petty on the Blagojevich/Mell situation. He writes as if he doesn't know that if the Tribune, for instance, had investigated the dump and saw illegal waste being hauled in, they would be sure to note that the owner is family to Mell and second cousin to the governor’s wife. So let’s not pretend for a moment that the dump had no potential to reflect badly on Blagojevich and give the appearance of scandal.   Calling Blagojevich’s actions an abuse of power is pure exaggeration. As chief executive of the state, he is required to enforce the laws of the state. When he has knowledge that someone is deceiving regulators and breaking the law, I think most reasonable people would agree that he has the obligation to investigate and intervene.   The way I read Zorn, he’s saying the landfill should have been allowed to continue (alledgely) accepting illegal materials, the second cousin should continue (alledgely) in doing so brag about his connections to the governor and Blagojevich should continue kissing up to the Chicago political machine. Where’s the integrity in that?   What’s more odd is that he pointed to Attorney General Lisa Madigan as an example of how Blagojevich should conduct himself. Yet Zorn apparently doesn't see that by her going against her politically powerful father, she is doing the exact same thing and showing the exact same kind of independence and integrity. How is it any different???   I’ll tell you how. When she asserted her independence and integrity, Lisa Madigan’s old man, Michael Madigan, didn’t flip out and berate her through the press like Mell did. That’s the one difference here.