Choice Words From Gov. Blagojevich

With the Illinois House poised to vote as early as this week on whether to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, ABC News took a look back at the governor's colorful comments through the years.

In this file photo, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich responds during a news conference in Chicago. With...

In this file photo, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich responds during a news conference in Chicago. With the Illinois House poised to vote as early as this week on whether to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, ABC News took a look back at the governor's colorful comments through the years.

(Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo)

Since becoming governor of Illinois in 2003, Blagojevich -- who was arrested on Dec. 9 for allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama -- has made his fair share of surprising remarks. Here's a glimpse of Blagojevich in his own words.

January 2003: "Stopping public corruption and improving ethical standards will be ongoing priorities of my administration. The people of Illinois expect a new day of integrity, of openness and accountability -- and they deserve a government as good and honest as they are."
-- On promising to clean out the corruption that ultimately landed his predecessor George Ryan in jail.

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June 2003: "I refused to let the promise of expanded gambling allow us to escape the hard choices our system so desperately needs. We took this fiscal crisis and used it to turn this state around."
-- On the passage of a state budget following his decision to reject state lawmakers' proposal to expand gambling.

August 2003: "If we discover that someone is cheating, whether they be human beings or cows, they're going to pay a price."
-- On the scandal that shook the Illinois State Fair when the winning junior division steer, Mongo, was disqualified because it was given an anti-inflammatory for a bum foot. The disqualification was later reversed after the family that owned Mongo sued, blasting Blagojevich for his comment in the process.

December 2003:"Today I am signing a bill into law that finally gives Illinois revolutionary ethics reform. We are not just tinkering at the edges, tweaking here and tightening there. Today we are re-establishing the primacy of principle over politics, and in Illinois that constitutes real change."