The following editorial appeared recently in the Chicago Tribune:
"For the past three years, my life has been spinning out of control," began the letter from Amy Blagojevich, 15, to the judge who was about to send her father to prison.
As the elder daughter of disgraced ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Amy has had an especially tumultuous adolescence. Those years — during which her father was arrested, charged with corruption, impeached, removed from office, tried twice and convicted — were made bearable by the fact that he was "home almost all of the time," she told U.S. District Judge James Zagel.
"He's been here to teach me life lessons," she wrote. "I need him here."
Sadly, her toughest life lessons are ahead of her. Zagel sentenced Blagojevich to 14 years in prison. He'll likely be out in just under 12 years.
You can't help but ache for Blagojevich's daughters, the adorable and adoring moppets who trailed their father on so many photo ops. For better or worse, they were props in the Blagojevich pageant.
The family couldn't move to Springfield, the governor once explained, because Amy was thriving in the Chicago school she'd attended since age 3. Accosted by reporters at the state fair in 2006, Blagojevich ducked questions by brandishing a wailing 3-year-old Annie. "I've got a crying baby here," he said.
Then there was that $1,500 check — made out to Amy, who'd just turned 7 — from a Blagojevich friend whose wife had just gotten a state job. Happy Birthday, Amy!
With his fate in the balance and his daughters' lives in upheaval, Blagojevich tried to comfort and distract them with a puppy named Skittles.
Once, with Amy in tears over the swirling uncertainty, he consoled her with a dark joke. "Worst case scenario — which I don't expect will happen — you can get another dog and call him 'Daddy,'" he told her.
It is indeed hard to imagine a worse scenario, and it's coming true. In court on Wednesday, Blagojevich told the judge he had come to accept his guilt while explaining the verdict to Amy. That had to be a tough talk. (And yes, the family has started looking for a second dog.) Still holding out hope for a short separation, the ex-governor appealed for leniency.
"There is no question that the innocent children of felons suffer," the judge said. "If it's of any consolation to his children, he does not stand convicted of being a bad father."