Obama buddy and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D), who was convicted of trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat, shaking down a children’s hospital, and trying to intimidate hostile newspaper editors, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Prosecutors had sought 15 to 20 years for the 17 counts of corruption, but sentencing judge decided to go for a shorter term after Blagojevich today took responsibility for his actions. The acceptance of guilt was a transparent last-ditch attempt to saw the judge, but it apparently worked.

Blagojevich will be required to surrender to authorities on February 16, 2012. One assumes his passport has already been confiscated, so fleeing the country is unlikely unless he crosses the porous southern border. In which case I say we let Mexico keep him.