On the very day that his impeachment trial for corruption involving an attempt to sell President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat is set to begin in the Illinois state Senate, ABC News has reported that Gov. Rob Blagojevich (D-Ill.) strongly considered appointing Oprah Winfrey to fill the vacancy.

The Illinois House of Representatives has voted 114-1 to impeach embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The vote directs the Senate to hold a trial "with the goal of removing him from office."

On Sunday, the Chicago Tribune ran an article with the subhead, "Blagojevich's arrest may be the final straw that shatters Illinois' political culture of 'pay to play'."

This Blagojevich scandal is a big deal. This isn't just a story about personal corruption, but a story about political corruption and campaign finance. Nick Nyhart, president and CEO at Public Campaign has a new post up at Huffington Post about the scandal.

As I reported yesterday, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested yesterday on federal corruption charges. Public Campaign President Nick Nyhart talked to The Nation this morning about the scandal.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) was arrested on federal charges today. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald calls the charges of pay-to-play politics "staggering."