It's over - Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been ousted. The Illinois Senate voted to remove Blagojevich from office on Thursday after an FBI investigation revealed he tried to sell a U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder. The photo above shows a quote taken from a taped conversation of then Gov. Blagojevich; it was displayed during the prosecution's closing arguments in his impeachment trial.
In a last-ditch attempt to save his job, Blagojevich insisted Thursday he had done nothing wrong and shouldn't be removed from office. In his 47-minute speech he said, "You haven't proved a crime, and you can't because it didn't happen. How can you throw a governor out of office with insufficient and incomplete evidence?"
After he spoke, the two-term Democratic governor then smiled and winked at reporters as he passed the press box on his way out of the Senate.
Each senator was given five minutes to speak before the final vote, among them Republican Sen. Dale Righter of Mattoon who called Blagojevich "a devious, cynical, crass and corrupt politician."
Under state law, the verdict instantly removed Blagojevich and Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, one of his critics, automatically became governor.
What a sad chapter in his life and a devastating ordeal for his wife Patricia Mell and his two young daughters who no doubt look up to him - Amy, 12, and Annie, 6.
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