Blagojevich Hurting Image With Media Blitz, PR Professionals Say

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is making a mockery of himself as he carries out a two-day media blitz to maintain his innocence, say public relations professionals interviewed by FOXNews.com on Tuesday.

Blagojevich is boycotting his Senate impeachment trial in Springfield, Ill., instead granting a rapid-fire succession of interviews in New York City hundreds of miles away.

The governor appeared on FOX News and FOXNews.com several times in the last two days, declaring that he's done nothing wrong and will not resign or bargain with Senate leaders seeking his ouster.

But Peter Fenn, head of Fenn Communications, sided with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley in calling Blagojevich's actions plain "cuckoo."

"This guy is clearly pathological," Fenn said. "This is a guy whose ego knows no bounds. ... My sense of this is it does him far more harm than good for his political career."

Fenn said the only possible benefit that can come of his media campaign is a book deal.

Even the governor acknowledged that his interviews will likely have no effect on his Senate trial.

"I'm under no illusions. I don't have a strong expectation that this will change their minds," he told FOX News Radio's Alan Colmes. He joked that, "I guess I can get my old job as a pizza driver back."

But some speculate that Blagojevich is trying to influence the potential jury pool should his case come to trial in criminal court.

Pete Snyder, CEO of New Media Strategies, said Blagojevich genuinely thinks he's helping himself and that he should not be underestimated. But as for the latest attention-grabbing bid, he said the governor is striking out.

"If he's trying to eventually make the case that he's absolutely nuts he's doing a beautiful job," Snyder said.

Judge Andrew Napolitano, FOX News' senior legal analyst, said the governor knows that the state Senate is determined to impeach him and he could even be out by Friday. So for now, he's just trying to save himself in the case that is likely to end up in criminal court.

"The governor has given up on being governor. ... I think the governor, it is his thinking, that he is not going to be able to get the attention that he is getting now next week. ... He is hoping that he can get his story out there in a sympathetic way and maybe he stands a chance" with jurors, he said.

In his media appearances, Blagojevich has likened his struggle to that of historical figures dating back to World War II.

After comparing his arrest last week to the Pearl Harbor attacks, Blagojevich told Colmes that his efforts as governor to win on legislative priorities were not unlike former President Franklin Roosevelt's.

"Now that's using the powers of the executive branch to help people who need help, not unlike what Franklin Roosevelt did when he was president, and he helped Great Britain because Congress was not willing to allow the United States to shore up Britain in its fight against the Nazis," he said.

Blagojevich also told FOXNews.com's Strategy Room that he refuses to resign, in part because he doesn't want his children to think that "their dad did something wrong."

"I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't committed any crimes," he said. "They're trying to run me out of town."

Blagojevich also told FOX News' Glenn Beck that he hasn't even done anything unethical, let alone illegal.

"When you say unethical, no," Blagojevich said. "Am I a perfect person? Have I made a whole bunch of mistakes? Absolutely."

In an interview with FOX News earlier Tuesday, he brushed off the idea that he could still bargain for a severance package if he stepped down immediately.

"I heard of no such thing. I'm not interested in resigning. I've done nothing wrong," Blagojevich told FOX News.

And after retaining the services of the Tampa-based Publicity Agency, Blagojevich said he didn't even realize the firm also represents Drew Peterson, the former Chicago police officer who is a suspect in his wife's disappearance.

"It's not something I knew," he said. "I didn't know it until it was in the newspaper."