Blagojevich Is Still In Business

I keep seeing people expressing worry about what happens if Rod Blagojevich goes ahead and nominates someone to Barack Obama's Senate seat before he's convicted and/or impeached for conspiring to sell it for a bribe. But I doubt that would happen -- after all, to be appointed by someone under such a cloud of suspicion about their appointment process is a surefire way to lose all credibility and legitimacy. Now that the story has broken, who would be shameless enough to accept an appointment?

But then it occurred to me that Blagojevich is so tainted that his appointment power becomes hugely potent in reverse. Perhaps he would be well served by naming one of his enemies to the seat -- even if they decline it immediately, the mere fact of having been nominated could ruin their careers. What's more, since this tarnishing power is "[expletive] golden," we'd expect he'd "just not giv[e] it up for [expletive] nothing." He could ask people how much they'd bribe him to not nominate them to the Senate.