Meetings with Blagojevich were a waste of time, Madigan decided. "Blagojevich would start out talking about sports, then he'd talk about Elvis," then at some point "turn his guns, usually on Madigan" said Brown. Once it was clear no work was getting done, "Madigan would call it a day."

It's difficult to isolate one low point in the relationship between governor and the Illinois speaker, both of them Democrats. But it may be in the summer of 2007, when Democratic legislative candidates got a talking-points memo from Madigan's staff, bluntly promoting the impeachment of the governor. The grounds cited: known federal investigations of Blagojevich associates, alleged abuse of power, and his "absentee" style of governing. The scathing document obtained by the Associated Press said in part: "One thing we learned from the (convicted former Gov.) George Ryan (R) case is that we should excise a tumor when it is first discovered; not leave it in the body to continue to spread and do further harm.

That summer, Blagojevich sued Madigan for counter-manding orders that legislators show up for multiple weekend sessions.

At first, the head-butting with the first Democratic governor in Illinois in decades seemed surprising given Madigan's productive relationships with three Republican gubernatorial administrations. "Madigan's used to having his way. He doesn't want to share power. All that's true. But it's also true that previous governors have been able to work with Madigan," said Redfield.

It wasn't always easy. Republican Governor Jim Edgar, in office from 1991 to 1999, says during his first term, Madigan was "just brutal." But when Madigan intended to oppose the governor, he was candid about it.

"He would tell you upfront whether he was going to be with you or against you," says Mike Lawrence, longtime political reporter and a senior Edgar aide. He remembers Edgar getting off the phone with Madigan, telling aides, "'He said he's going to screw me.' And screw was not the word. He was quoting Madigan. It was the one and only time we heard Edgar use the F-word," says Lawrence."

"Sounds plausible to me," says Madigan aide Brown.

But Madigan was chastened by losing control of the House to state Republicans for two years. When he came back as Speaker, he was more willing to compromise. "Often he would be my best ally in trying to hold down spending," says Edgar.

The Economy

Political observers have called Madigan a fiscal conservative, but his press aide calls him moderate on fiscal issues. He generally believes in trying to keep spending down, but also thinks that sometimes taxes have to be increased.

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