Advice for Blago

Like Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Portfolio writer Matthew Cooper was once in the sights of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. And now the former Time scribe, who refused to reveal his sources to Fitzgerald in the Valerie Plame leak investigation, has some sage advice for the corrupt Illinois Governor: “[Fitzgerald is] a hard ass, but a reasonable one and I think, if you believe you are guilty and are going to lose at trial, you might get a decent deal out of this.” Cooper warns Blago that Fitzgerald can “smell a liar” and that his best bet is to “beg for mercy” because “you might get it.” Of course, Cooper adds, if it’s all a big misunderstanding and Blagojevich is innocent, he should “fight like hell.”