The retrial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich ended today, with the jury returning guilty verdicts on 17 of the 20 counts, including finding him guilty of trying to peddle former Senator Barck Obama’s senate seat.

He was found not guilty on one other change, and the jury was deadlocked on the remaining two of 20 charges.

Coupled with the guilty charge (lying to the FBI) from Blagojevich’s previous – almost completely hung – trial last year, the former governor could be looking at six to eight years in prison. Obviously, he can still appeal. I don’t know if that’s viable, however. He has a number of charges he can probably serve concurrently; even if he gets a couple of those tossed, he’ll still have to serve the time for the others. So I really don’t know what his options are.

Blagojevich follows another former Illinois governor – George Ryan – who is still in prison.

And you thought Wisconsin politics were crazy.

Blagojevich is the son of a Serbian immigrant who was a POW held by the Germans in World War II; he came to America and worked in the steel mills.

His son – Rod Blagojevich – was born in Chicago and rose to be governor of arguably one of the the most powerful states in the country.

Now he’s a just another felon.