(CHICAGO)(OCTOBER 27, 2006) Whoever said politics is the art of the possible didn’t know the half of it in Illinois. I don’t envy the voters of this state on November 7th. I early voted today and made my choice: Judy Topinka.

I ran against Judy in the 2006 gubernatorial primary, so I know all of her faults. I can still see the conservative (right-wing?) hound dogs baying at her for a long litany of perceived sins. But is she worse than Governor Blah Blah Blagojevich? Not by a country mile.

Every day brings new corruption and conflict of interest allegations. This morning on the front page of the Chicago Tribune there was the governor’s wife, saying she had a “right to her own career,” making over a hundred thousand dollars in “commissions” from people who have no-bid contracts with the Governor’s government. Oh, well.

Then this afternoon one of the governor’s political associates pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud and corruption. Blagojevich’s defense: the crook gave to Topinka too. On and on it goes. The Mayor of Chicago? Don’t ask.

There was a picture of the mayor sitting uncomfortably in a Jet Blue airplane parked at O’Hare airport. Planning a getaway? No way. He says Jet Blue is coming to Chicago and he’s happy about that. Well, at least he has something to be happy about.

And, oh, yesterday there was a real election in Chicago. Yup, there was a “Chicago-style” election. The City that gave us Chicago pizza has elections made out of play dough. The mayor voted, the incumbent city clerk resigned and Daley appointed a successor, all in a matter of minutes and all without any of the fuss or muss of voters having to go out in the cold and rain. It’s enough to bring a tear of envy to Vladimir Putin’s eyes.

Ain’t Chicago great? We don’t need no stinkin' voters in Chicago. We got duh mare.

Yes, all of this nonsense has taken place in the city and state in the past 24 hours. Unbelievable but true. You gotta love the place. Where is Fox TV’s Jack Bauer when we really need him?

Forty years ago as a young law student at the University of Illinois I started fighting corruption. I picked a good job. I’ll never run out of targets and bad guys to blast away.

Back to Topinka. She’s no angel, and no, she’s not perfect, and yes, I know a lot of her faults and foibles close up. Today was typical. She tried to make hay out of the federal court guilty plea—and sent her lieutenant governor candidate out to do it for her. No sign of Judy. What was she thinking?

Still, Topinka is a sort of a minor tragic figure in all of this mishegas. She had a sweet niche as state treasurer, a no show job where she could go on the road and attend women’s luncheons and push women’s empowerment. Hey, every two weeks there was a payday. And she was popular.

During the primary I called her the “Mike Howlett” of the Republican Party. Mike was popular until he ran for governor. Then he wasn’t so poplar. The same with Topinka.

Last year the power brokers importuned her. Yup, they promised Judy the moon. National leaders came to Illinois and promised Judy a war chest to beat all war chests if she won the primary. Well, she did and they didn’t. The governor has had a virtually unlimited budget to flay Topinka, and true to Judy’s malapropic aphorisms there was no dough with which to swing her rolling pin. Judy’s campaign larder has been largely empty. The heavy hitters and big donors have been on vacation, afraid to offend the incumbent governor. Yes, they really do things that way in Chicago. Cold weather. Cold politics.

Earlier this week, at the end of Judy’s campaign profile in the Chicago Tribune, she said she had run an honorable race. Well, she has. I don’t want to tell her I told you so, but I did, last year and during the primary. It was all predictable. There have been no surprises. But she won the primary and I didn’t. So today I voted for her. Not vice versa.

With all of her limitations and weaknesses, she is still the only honorable candidate for governor. She agreed to fight the good fight. She took up the cudgel of whoever urged her to run. And they left her high and dry to sit in the cone of fire as Blah Blah Blago pummeled her with negative ads. She wouldn’t listen and she walked into the battle unprepared for what was to come.

Well, the Day of Judgment has come. Judy is no angel, but she got my vote. Politics is the art of the possible. Blagojevich is impossible. And Judy is the only one left standing.

And, look on the bright side, for “values voters” at least. A school principal on Long Island (New York) banned Captain Underpants costumes for girls. Maybe if Judy had worn a Captain Underpants suit she would have beat the real Captain Underpants: Rod Blagojevich. And now for a slice of Chicago pizza.