Scott Reeder

SPRINGFIELD -- Just call them Rod Blagojevich’s willing beneficiaries.

Or perhaps "political whores" would be a more appropriate moniker.

Pat Quinn and Roland Burris made pacts with the political devil. And now they want to avoid the consequences.

Quinn has taken to bad-mouthing the "Blagojevich administration." Every time, he does it, I roll my eyes. After all, Quinn was the governor’s running mate -- twice.

The millions of dollars in contributions the Blagojevich campaign allegedly raised by shaking down state contractors benefitted Quinn.

A vote for Rod was also a vote for Pat.

As sleazy allegation after sleazy allegation came to light during Blagojevich’s first term, Pat Quinn kept his mouth shut.

Quinn has tried to burnish an image as an "elder statesman" by attending the funerals of Illinois soldiers and Marines killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He saluted as "Taps" was played and the cameras clicked funeral after funeral. But we didn’t hear boo from him as vets were shunted aside when seeking state jobs.

The administration gamed the state’s hiring system to give preference to political cronies over veterans. Middle-aged folks were hired into lucrative so-called "intern" positions to avoid the legal requirement of giving preference to veterans.

It made sense for Quinn to stay quiet -- he was going to be Blagojevich’s running mate again, after all.

Now he wants the governor impeached and says he is outraged that our embattled governor is trying to appoint Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate.

Burris for his part says the charges against the governor are "appalling" and "reprehensible." But Burris was just dandy with accepting a senatorial appointment from him.

Moments after Burris accepted the appointment, Quinn was objecting. "We believe in clean government and Rod Blagojevich has unclean hands," he said.

Those hands may be unclean but let’s not forget they gave both Quinn and now Burris a hand up.

Spend your time with a pig and pretty soon you’re going to stink. Scott Reeder is Statehouse bureau chief for Small Newspaper Group, which includes The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus.