Mayor quietly keeps his distance

Daley read from a script, offering his condolences to the guilty and a recycled version of his efforts to clean up city hiring.

"I know you have many, many questions. There will be considerable analysis of this verdict, which I cannot be a part of," he said.

Then the mayor wished his dinner companion, President Bush, a happy birthday, turned and walked away without answering -- or even acknowledging -- a single question. The whole thing took less than two minutes.

Power of the 'big eagle'

Elsewhere in City Hall's cavernous corridors, city workers spoke in whispers about the conviction of Robert Sorich, Tim McCarthy, Patrick Slattery and John Sullivan -- shaking their heads in disappointment over "good guys" getting "screwed" by the federal government.

Ald. Bernard Stone (50th) openly echoed those sentiments. "This whole trial was ridiculous," he said, adding that the only message it sends City Hall is that the federal government has awesome power.

"All these [corruption] trials send a message . . . you will be found guilty," Stone said. "That's the power of the big eagle. You have no chance against the big eagle. It doesn't make any difference if you're guilty or not guilty."

The verdict fueled speculation where the federal searchlight will shine next.

Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th) said city employees should realize it's best to do business as if "someone is looking over your shoulder because obviously that is the case.

"If people were worried before, I assume they should stay worried," he said.

One longtime Democrat said guys like Daley's former intergovernmental affairs chief, Victor Reyes -- Sorich's former boss -- should be very worried.

"It seemed like Victor's name was mentioned during the trial as much as Sorich," the source said. "And I think the feds understand Sorich was just taking orders."

Reyes, who has not been accused of a crime, did not return a call seeking comment.

Gov mum on verdicts

City Hall is not alone.

Gov. Blagojevich's administration is also the subject of a similar probe -- one in which the feds are investigating alleged job rigging and "the preparation of fraudulent hiring documentation," according to a letter from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

The governor's office did not return calls seeking comment about the verdicts. Blagojevich, however, has maintained that the federal probe is an offshoot of his working to "ferret out" a few "bad apples" who may have violated a court decree called Rutan. Rutan is similar to Chicago's Shakman decree and bars politics from being considered in the hiring and firing of all but about 3,000 state employees.

Mary Lee Leahy, the lead lawyer in the 1990 Rutan decision, could only comment generally about the verdicts because she is a witness in civil litigation over the governor's hiring practices.

"I certainly think this verdict should send a loud and clear message to every public employer in the country," she said, "but I thought Rutan would do that back in 1990."

Contributing: Chris Fusco