Must...Resist...Power..Of...The...Sledding...Cat...

Enough with the Blagojevich already!

Illinois politics dominated the Rick Sanchez hour this week, keeping us from bringing you lots of important news stories.

Click on the picture and T.J. Holmes will tick off a few big stories that we didn't have time for.

Yes, of course, the sledding cat is in there. You think we could resist THAT??

Blogojevich: Ego-driven? Nahhh...

OK, so Rod Blagojevich had his final moment of uninterrupted microphone time as governor of Illinois.

It didn't do him much good. He became the ex-governor just a few hours later. They've even replaced his picture at the state house already.

What did he talk about? Well, he said he'd done nothing wrong, he asked his state senate to acquit him, and he listed several health care intitiatives, kids' programs, and ethics laws he enacted while governor.

What DIDN'T he mention? The U.S. Senate seat scandal that got his impeachment process started.

T.J. Holmes speaks to Ashleigh Banfield and Kendall Coffee in this clip. They agree that there was more than a little bit of "Blagojevic Ego" fueling his last hours in office.

The stimulus bill will probably pass, and everyone's got an idea where the money should go!

Republicans in congress say President Obama's proposed stimulus package contains too much spending...and not deep-enough tax cuts.

Democrats say it's the way to job creation and kickstarting the economy.

As the vote looms, Rick invites two guests with very different perspectives: Patricia Murphy of Citizen Jane Politics, and CNN's Richard Quest, who's covering the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Smart conversation!

Una Cara Dura?

Something to take note of today: it's called "Una Cara Dura". That's what my mom calls it. Translation: having a hard face.

Consider it a person's ability to do or attempt to do something that would embarrass most of us, yet they are seemingly unaffected by it.

What am I talking about? Consider these examples:

Let's say you get caught on tape allegedly shaking down a children's hospital for money.

Or waiting a month to report your daughter is missing and later being charged in her disappearance.

Or having sex with an intern in the oval office.

Or being a grown man, a United States senator, accused of soliciting sex in a men's bathroom.

Then, many of these same people call news conferences and give interviews as if nothing happened.

Is it bizarre behavior or an impressive display of unflappability?

What do you think?

The U.N.'s Manfred Nowak tells Rick that a future trial could focus on G.W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld! (Getty Images File)

Should the Obama administration persue criminal charges against people close to George W. Bush? What about the former president himself?

Rick's guest says not only, "Yes", but that Obama is obligated to do just that.

He is Manfred Nowak, the Austria-born United Nations Special Investigator on Torture.

He says evidence exists that shows Donald Rumsfeld et al. clearly knew that they were authorizing torture against terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay.

Watch this exclusive interview and add your comments.

Oh, and apologies for the bad audio quality in the first part of this clip. Stick with it...it gets better.

CitiGroup is spending some of their federal bailout money. Do you know what they're buying? (Getty Images)

Something to take note of today:

The word I'm thinking of is "tone-deaf", however, this is not about music. It's that rare ability to read the mood of the country and then do exactly the opposite.

(This usually doesn't happen to people who twitter, blog or keep up at all with the social media, but maybe that's my own bias.)

Here's the point: at a time when tens of thousands of Americans are losing their jobs, and when those same Americans are having to bail out huge corporations for the good of the whole, what do we learn today?

Citigroup, the bank that's gotten $45 billion in government aid, is moving forward on buying a new corporate jet.

The New York Post reports the jet costs $50 million and seats only 12 people...12!

The leather is said to be extremely plush and the plane is one of the fastest in the world. It can go six thousand miles without re-fueling and tops out at 559 miles an hour.

Asked about the plane: Citigroup says this:
"For security reasons, we cannot comment.
Executives are encouraged to fly commercial whenever possible to reduce expenses.
Over the past eight years, Citi has reduced the number of aircraft by two-thirds."

If this represents a reduction, one wonders what they do when they splurge?

Tell me what you think.

Well, We Didn't Miss THIS!

Are you aware that newsworthy events occured during President Obama's inauguration week?

I know...we couldn't believe it either!

Watch this clip - it's a few news stories Rick and the team passed on while the eyes of the world were focused elsewhere.

The Clock Is Ticking On The Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. Did Torture Occur Here?

Rick and his guests react to President Barack Obama's order to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility in Cuba.

He's also making all U.S. interrogation practices uniform...as specifically outlined in the U.S. Army's Field Manual.

What do you think? Should Gitmo close? And what should happen to the inmates that are there?

Before you answer, listen to Rick & Co.'s conversation.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Talks To Rick About Obama's Environmental Intentions

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ideas about which direction America should be headed regarding energy and environmental policy.

He's talked it over with President Obama, he's written extensively on the subject, and now lays it out for Rick Sanchez.

One question they bring up: Can we change environmental policy during times of economic hardship?

The answer may surprise you.