Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan spoke with Fox News this morning to discuss the beginning of the impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Apparently the process will take longer than even he had expected.

How likely is Blago’s impeachment in the case he doesn’t step down? More likely than you’d think. Illinois’ constitution doesn’t require that the governor be found guilty of a crime. It seems that he can be impeached for purely political purposes. The House can decide that he’s worthy of impeachment and a supermajority vote by both chambers (the Senate would carry out the trial) would carry out a conviction. Interesting.

Don’t expect to hear about a resignation by Blago anytime soon, by the way. He may very well be using his seat as a bargaining chip in case and his attorney, Ed Genson, even wants to challenge the impeachment committee’s standing. Good luck with that, Ed.