Just a few days ago, nobody had any idea how to pronounce his name, but now Rod Blagojevich and his hair are everywhere. In the annals of politics, there have surely been other governors who engaged in the kind of pay to play corruption Hot Rod now stands accused of. But it is doubtful any of them ever discussed their fraud with such Mamet-like vigor over phone lines that they had good reason to believe were tapped.

Bottom line, Blago comes off as completely nuts. And that is what makes the man who came up in Chicago machine politics so fun. While Bagojevich may ultimately be but a historical footnote, the Windy City has produced its share of iconic madman.

After the jump see how one city created three different kinds of crazy.