Poor George

Nobody likes him any more. The background, from Wikipedia:

"In late 2005, George Ryan (along with lobbyist friend Larry Warner) went to trial for racketeering and bribery. On April 17, 2006, the jury found Ryan and Warner guilty on all counts. Sentencing is scheduled for September 6, 2006. Ryan faces up to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, the most serious of the charges in the 22-count indictment. Ryan said that he would appeal the verdict." George Ryan

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (09.04.06), via FirstDraft:

"Former Gov. George Ryan, who is scheduled to be sentenced on corruption charges this week, is one of the least popular political figures in Illinois history. Yet even Ryan - whose very name still casts an unwelcome shadow over his party in state politics - is better liked in the state than fellow Republican George W. Bush, according to a new Post-Dispatch/KMOV-TV (Channel 4) Research 2000 poll conducted last week." Disgraced Ryan outpolls Bush

"That stunning comparison illustrates the president's problem in much of the country these days, as he struggles to keep Americans behind the war effort in Iraq and the 'war on terror.'"