Obama calls for Illinois governor to resign

President-elect Barack Obama called for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to resign on Wednesday, hours after the embattled governor reported for work amid charges he plotted to sell Obama's vacant Senate seat.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president-elect agrees with other prominent politicians in Illinois and elsewhere that "under the current circumstances, it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois."

Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday, accused of scheming to enrich himself by selling Obama's open seat for cash or a lucrative job for himself. The governor has authority to appoint the replacement.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, Gibbs said Obama believes the Illinois legislature should consider a special election to fill the seat.

Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) is out on bond and has denied any wrongdoing.

The governor left his home on Chicago's North Side early Wednesday and waved to the media before quickly getting into a dark SUV without talking to reporters.

A short time later, Blagojevich's SUV arrived at his office.

"He is still the sitting governor of Illinois today, now, and that is not something we have any say in or control of," U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in unveiling corruption charges on Tuesday against the 52-year-old governor.

The governor's attorney, Sheldon Sorosky, said Tuesday he didn't know of any immediate plans for the governor to resign. Blagojevich believes he didn't do anything wrong and asks Illinois residents to have faith in him, Sorosky said.

"I suppose we will have to go to trial," he said.

Blagojevich could still appoint someone to fill Obama's seat despite the charges that he tried to barter it away for cash or a plum job in what Fitzgerald called "a political corruption crime spree."

But it would take a lot of nerve and Blagojevich would have to hurry because state lawmakers are racing to snatch away his power to appoint a new senator and put it in the hands of voters.

"No appointment by this governor, under these circumstances, could produce a credible replacement," U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Tuesday after the governor, a second-term Democrat, was arrested on charges of conspiring to commit fraud and soliciting bribery.

Until state lawmakers call a special election, though, Blagojevich still has the power to fill the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Obama.

Obama was not accused of any wrongdoing.

"I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not — I was not aware of what was happening," Obama said. "And as I said, it's a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that, I don't think it's appropriate to comment."

Prosecutors stepped in and had the governor arrested because he was on "what can only be called a political corruption crime spree," Fitzgerald said.

Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said he is prepared to call the Illinois House into session as early as Monday to set a special election to fill the seat. Illinois Senate President Emil Jones said he had something similar in mind.

In Washington, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., made it plain he didn't want to seat anyone under such a cloud, saying the charges "are appalling and represent as serious a breach of the public trust as I have ever heard."

Charged along with Blagojevich was his 46-year-old chief of staff, John Harris, who was accused of taking part in the schemes to enrich the governor.

The FBI said in court papers that Blagojevich was overheard conspiring to sell the Senate seat for campaign cash or lucrative jobs for himself or his wife, a real estate agent. He spoke of using the Senate appointment to land a job with a nonprofit foundation or a union-affiliated group, and even held out hope of getting named Obama's secretary of health and human services or an ambassador.

According to court papers, the governor tried to make it known through emissaries, including union officials and fundraisers, that the seat could be had for the right price. Blagojevich allegedly had a salary in mind — $250,000 to $300,000 a year — and spoke of collecting half-million and million-dollar political contributions.

"I've got this thing and it's (expletive) golden," prosecutors quoted Blagojevich as saying about the Senate appointment on federal bugs in his campaign office and wiretaps on his home telephone, "and I'm just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I'm not gonna do it."

Besides scheming to swap or sell the Senate seat, Blagojevich — a former congressman, state lawmaker and prosecutor — was accused of trying to strong-arm the Chicago Tribune into firing editorial writers who had called for his impeachment.

Blagojevich was charged with two counts: conspiracy to commit fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and solicitation to commit bribery, which is punishable by up 10 years. He was released on his own recognizance following an afternoon hearing.

Blagojevich becomes the latest in a long line of Illinois governors to become engulfed in scandal. He was elected in 2002 as a reformer promising to clean up after Gov. George Ryan, who is serving six years in prison for graft. He was re-elected to another four-year term in 2006.

Did he actually called?

Obama says he will not smoke in White House

Obama says he won't be smoking in White House

This is a ridiculous situations who cares if he smokes

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, interviewer Tom Brokaw told Obama he had ducked answering the question during an interview last month with ABC's Barbara Walters.

Noting that the White House was a no-smoking zone, Brokaw asked Obama, "Have you stopped smoking?"

"I have," Obama replied, smiling broadly. "What I said was that there are times where I have fallen off the wagon."

"Wait a minute," Brokaw interjected, "that means you haven't stopped."

"Fair enough," Obama said. "What I would say is that I have done a terrific job under the circumstances of making myself much healthier. You will not see any violations of these rules in the White House."

Obama was often observed on the presidential campaign trail chewing Nicorette gum, which helps ease the craving for nicotine. He has tried several times to quit.

The 47-year-old president-elect, who takes office on January 20, works out daily at the gym and sometimes plays basketball. His doctor said in May he was in excellent health, often jogged 3 miles a day and was fit to serve as U.S. president.

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Cheating Husband or Wife?
How to know if your spouse is cheating on you.

It's a sad fact, but this article is necessary because an ever-increasing number of people are wondering if a

husband or wife is cheating. You might be wondering if your husband or wife is cheating on you or you could be

concerned for a friend. In today's world, adultery is becoming common, especially with websites existing solely

to bring people together for affairs. On such websites, people actually advertise themselves as wanting to have

an affair because they are unhappy in their marriage or are sexual addicts.

I realize that you may be in some degree of fear, frustration or sorrow as you read this article. For that, I

offer my deepest sympathy. I can, however, offer the following information as a tool for you to use in

determining the likelihood of whether or not a spouse is cheating. It might require some detective work on your

part, but knowing if your spouse is being unfaithful to you is worth the work.


Phone Usage and Typical Patterns of Cheating Husbands and Wives

If you already think your spouse is cheating on you, you should add an item to your list of clues if you notice

that your spouse turns off his/her cell phone when with you or leaves the room when taking or making calls.

He/she might even become angry if you answer their cell phone. Check the cell phone bill for calls made. Often

times these calls are in the morning of the evening while your husband/wife is driving to and from work. The

only good thing about a cell phone bill is that it lists all the calls made in a billing cycle. Most cheaters

consider a cell phone to be a necessity because it allows them to make calls while driving and away from home,

but if he or she does not have one, you might want to buy them one just so you can track their calls.

Another detail to examine on a cell phone bill would be extremely long calls. Sometimes such calls can be for

business matters, but if your spouse is in a profession that doesn't require a great deal of cell phone use, or

if the cell phone use has increased for no apparent reason, you have logical reason to be suspicious.

Also take note if you receive an unusual amount of wrong number or hang up calls to your home phone and

especially if you notice his or her cell phone ring immediately after someone hung up when you answered. Your

spouse may also occasionally hang up suddenly when you enter the home or a room.

1. Keep an eye on spending. Often, having a romantic affair can greatly change spending habits. For a

girlfriend or wife, it may mean less money spent on daily meals, since a boyfriend may be buying lunches

frequently, or for a guy, he may be buying flowers or lunches, or even paying for an apartment or motel room.
2. Look for the ordinary things, like lipstick on his collar, or her returning home with different odors on

her person.
3. Telephone often, just to chat, and listen to background noises. If the significant other is at work, you

should be able to associate the background sounds to their job. You may also catch a hint of something in their

voice that tells you they are not comfortable talking.
4. Look at the mileage on their vehicle. If they are doing a lot of unexplained travelling, another clue has

been discovered.
5. Listen to what their friends say when you are both around them. She/he may be telling you that they are

spending time with their friend, then their friend may make a comment about how long it has been since they

went out together.
6. Buy her some flowers, not exactly roses, but just flowers in general.
7. Have them delivered to her at work, but make sure that your name is NOT put onto the card, so she doesn't

know who it's from.
8. When she comes home, if she still has the flowers and asks you if you sent them to her, she is probably

faithful, but if she doesn't say a word, more then likely she's cheating on you.
9. Consider using "spy software" to gather evidence against your cheating spouse. Most cheating today

involves email or IM communication.
10. If all this advice doesn't work just ask him/her upfront. If s/he won't tell you use guilt. After a

while, s/he will just give up and tell you.
11. Don't be too hard on your mate if s/he tells you yes. Ask her questions like why s/he was cheating. Try

to understand him/her.
12. If s/he is really that bad don't be afraid to just dump him/her. You should try to understand her first

but if you can't, don't feel bad.
13. Look for obvious changes in behavior; If he/she usually has a set time for getting home from work and all

the sudden, there are "after work meetings" or sudden trips to Walmart at odd hours
14. Sudden Changes in dress, hairstyle, sexual activity (More OR less) These changes could be indicitive of

him or her trying to attract or please someone new
15. Sleeping with their cell suddenly "Hello, what are you hiding"
16. Obviously if you walk in on them in the act, they are cheating.
17. Pick up the book, Ultimate Betrayal: Recognizing, Uncovering and Dealing with Infidelity. It's a step by

step guide to help you find out if he/she is cheating on you. It's written by an investigator and infidelity

survivor.

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