After giving his wife Patti a quick peck on the cheek, Rod Blagojevich walked over to the witness stand at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago and swore to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth before the jury. Then he quickly introduced himself to those who would decide his fate. “I’m Rod Blagojevich. I used to be the governor … I’ve waited two and a half years to be here to get my side of the story out. It’s very liberating to answer all of your questions.”
Before entering the courtroom on Thursday, May 26, Blagojevich, 54, had made a predictable scene outside, literally flexing his muscle by showing off his biceps to the waiting reporters, satisfying — for a moment — their quest for more details on one of America’s most controversial political clowns. Then, taking his place at the witness stand — a spot he never appeared in at his previous, abortive trial for corruption — Blagojevich began a meandering testimony that had all the melodrama and filigree of a Lifetime movie. It began with his childhood and moved to his college years and beyond in a five-hour performance, one that was not finished by the time the court adjourned for the day. The intricacies were as crosshatched as the tie he wore.
