"Rod, thanks for your help" -- Joe

Like that affable Oscar, Rod is about to pop up again from his pail. No, not the Governor.

I speak of Sire Rod McCulloch, whom the late Steve Neal deemed “the nutty professor of Illinois politics”. The same GOP consultant who had JACK’s naughty, naughty divorce files months before the Chicago Tribune and ABC7 Chicago.

The media giants spent millions to break a court seal to learn that JACK liked sex (take a deep breath) with his wife, sans alien costume. Apparently, Oscar had the files all along—using each page as a coaster for his occasional cocktail.

Last November, DuPage State's Attorney Joe Birkett indicted McCulloch for forgery, alleging that the professor submitted bogus signatures on a candidate's nominating petitions. Serious charges indeed, and the grouch may have to bunk with that under sexed cellmate snuffleupagus. Ouchy.

But the professor will not go quietly into the night.

After indicting him, Joe Birkett’s campaign committee apparently blasted an email to McCulloch requesting his help passing Birkett’s nominating petitions for Lt. Guv.

Feeling blessed to be asked, and eager to help, apparently McCulloch put on his best pair of Wallaby’s and went to work, acquiring lots and lots of signatures for Birkett.

My hunch is that since Birkett declared very late, his team was happy to receive any petitions. So somewhere deep within Birkett’s filed signatures are probably petitions circulated by McColloch.

If so, it will be an interesting trial (and possible campaign issue), with Birkett's prosecutors having to explain to the jury why Birkett--after indicting Rod for forging signatures--asked Rod to circulate his petitions, and most importantly, used and benefited from the professor’s petitions to secure a spot on the ballot.

Nutty, indeed.

UPDATE: Contrary to my hunch, Rich Miller said Birkett's people told him they pulled McColloch's petitions. Easy to verify, so I doubt they are fibbing, but I am sure someone will check. If true, kudos to the Birkett team.

It still leaves open the issue of Birkett inviting McColloch via email to pass his petitions post indictment.