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I just wanted to say that Ryan wasn't run out of town because the Republicans didn't like his corrupt ways. Let's face it: it's Illinois. Over here, for the most part, Ryan was small beans. The level of corruption he presided over paled in comparison to most of our former governors, Thompson in particular. He was just engaging in Springfield standard operating procedure.
And this isn't really a partisan thing here, as Blagojevich is plenty corrupt himself (although I don't think he has the gall to do something like selling license plates for bribes). I work for the state, relatives of mine work for the state, everyone knows the score when you have to purchase "tickets" for a fundraising event or whatnot.
Also, while Ryan was nominated for the Nobel Prize, I don't think many liberals are in love with him. A couple of summers before Ryan left office, the Chicago Tribune ran a stunning multi-part investigative report on the death penalty in Illinois (and in Texas). Ryan appointed a commision to study death row, both because he had to politically and (I think) because it was the right thing to do. And everyone knows that he probably only cleared death row because he was about to become "disgraced former Governor Ryan." Even so, he was brave to do so and absolutely did the right thing.
Corrupt? Yes. Especially so? No, but only by Illinois standards. Deserves kudos for the death penalty moratorium? Absolutely.
P.S. Someone mentioned that Ryan was a moderate Republican, and I guess that's true, but the reality is that within the confines of Illinois ideology takes a backseat to incumbency. Very few elected state officials in either party are exceptionally ideological. In an odd way, this obsessive desire to retain power actually curtails the kind of partisan bickering that hinders many other states (and Congress) because everyone pretty much gets along and tries not to rock the boat.
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