Megan McArdle puts it in perspective:
Most of my friends are libertarians, and hence tend to assume that this sort of quid pro quo is in fact how people get appointments. But we thought it was done with some subtlety, a nudge and a wink, not full frontal demands for payola… There’s something really sad about having gone so far that your indelicacy actually amazes the folks who want to legalize prostitution and open air drug markets.
(Source)
Which is, at bottom, what this is all about. What Blago’s going to get nailed for isn’t corruption; it’s failure to indulge in it with sufficient style and indirectness.
Wrong: “It’ll cost you a million bucks to get the Senate seat, Senate Candidate N.”
“Cash or check?”
Right: “Well, there’s lots of good candidates there; why do you stand head and shoulders above the others?”
“I can give you a million reasons why I’m the best candidate, Governor”
“Cash or check? Err, I mean, ‘gee, that sounds persuasive; please tell me more.'”
Reading this makes my decsiions easier than taking candy from a baby.