Is Blagojevich Nuts?

It's a question that was asked by Powerline earlier this week (and again today), and CBS News is also raising the question. Why would he knowingly say such things even while he was under investigation for rampant corruption.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich knew for months he was under investigation, so why was he caught on tape making so many incriminating statements? Some are wondering if there's something wrong with his mental acuity.

As CBS 2's Jim Williams reports, right after the feds announced the charges against Blagojevich, there were angry shouts across the country. Many called him "disgusting, arrogant."

However, after some reflection, there is the serious question people like Marian Cassler of Chicago are asking: "When you know you're being watched, why would you do something like that? You have to have something wrong."

"Well, we think he's nuts, that he has some kind mental problem that he would have the audacity to do such a thing," said Chicago resident Meg Olsen.

Could it be that Blagojevich has a mental illness that has impaired his judgment?

Dr. Daniela Schreirer is a forensic psychologist at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and she does not see any sign of mental illness in the public Blagojevich, but believes he does have sociopathic traits.

"We're just talking about traits. We're not talking about full-blown diagnosis. But certainly, there's the same sense of entitlement, the same sense of thinking I am superior. I can do whatever I want. I am not going to be caught," Schreirer said.

For starters, I don't think he's nuts. I don't think there's anything clinically wrong with him, although all this talk will surely inspire his defense team to consider putting experts on the stand to claim that he was insane or suffering from some form of mental illness that couldn't tell right from wrong.

Blagojavich appears to see everything in terms of how he can profit from them. A Senate seat has worth to him beyond mere political power (which has value in and of itself). It has a dollar value. Everything can be reduced to a dollar figure or tangible use of political power. The affidavits and transcripts from the wiretaps all point to his insatiable need to profit from the situation.

So, when the opportunity presented itself to find a successor to Barack Obama, he opened the door to see what he could get for the seat. This isn't merely horsetrading, but flat out corruption. He's looking for pay to play. That may be politics as usual in Chicago, but it's criminal.

Further, the fact that he wanted the Tribune Company to choose between keeping certain reporters on the payroll or losing tax benefits should the company sell the Cubs, suggests that he was acutely aware of image and how to maintain power. It goes to the fungible nature of power, image, and profit. If the reporters broke news on his corruption, he'd lose power, image, and profit. He was doing what he could to protect all three. What is so breathtaking is just how starkly bold he was in doing all this.

He apparently believed he was above the law, even by Chicago standards.