there is justice in the fumo case after all

Breaking news from The Inquirer that His Vinceness must forfeit his six-figure pension as a result of his corruption conviction. His prison sentence is still a joke, but at least he'll collect no more than a single, five-figure sum for the remainder of his life for his arrogant betrayal of the public trust. Which is a win for beleaguered taxpayers. And if you haven't seen it, check out Ralph Cipriano's post-mortem on the trial in the August issue of Philadelphia magazine, which includes an in-depth interview with The Vince of Darkness, plus an inside look at how and why the jury came to conclude he was guilty. The following exchange from the trial -- plus Fumo's subsequent assessment of it -- between Our Boy and prosecutor John Pease is especially indicative of the man's breathtaking sense of entitlement:

Fumo: “Oh, I probably should have told her to go to the second floor, rather than do it in the basement, yes.”

Pease: “Because it’s a violation of state law for you to have your employee using state facilities, state equipment, to work on campaigns, correct?”

Fumo: “It is, it is. It’s also a violation to spit on the sidewalk, although I don’t know that it’s enforced.”

“That was a little flippant,” Fumo now concedes.

Ya think?