EXTRA: Is it actually a badge of honor that Fardon is out of an appointment?!?

Zachary Fardon, the man who has been U.S. attorney in Chicago for four years now, ought to be proud of himself that he soon will be out of a job.

FARDON: Likely to be better employed soon

Fardon was one of 46 U.S. attorneys located across the United States who were ordered Friday to resign their posts immediately, so that new President Donald J. Trump can have the privilege of giving their jobs to people of his own preference.

CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS reported that Fardon will be gone by Monday, and that the chief assistant, Joel Levin, will be acting U.S. attorney for the northern Illinois district until Trump, through the persona of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, can make appointments that then need the confirmation of the U.S. Senate.

It could well be autumn by the time we have a new U.S. attorney in place in Chicago, which pretty much puts everything in a holding pattern until then.

Not the most sensible course of action. But not at all surprising, considering that we now have a president capable of behaving like a raging loon and who doesn't seem the least bit concerned about the chaos he's causing for government operations.

Because, after all, he's the guy who thinks he's coming in to shake everything up! Besides, Trump will be consulting the Republican members of the Illinois congressional delegation for advice on who the new U.S. attorney shall be.

OF COURSE, TWO-thirds of the Illinois congressional delegation is Democrat -- including all the people actually from Chicago. They're all going to have their views ignored with Rep. John Shimkus of the area near St. Louis being the senior member -- unless Trump defers to Gov. Bruce Rauner, whose views certainly aren't appreciated around City Hall these days.

My guess is that Trump is interested in finding someone not at all interested in the law or criminal prosecution, but in stirring up legal nonsense. Particularly since Trump has expressed particularly interest in using Chicago as his politically partisan punching bag.

The new U.S. attorney for Chicago to be chosen by the members of the congressional delegation from outside the Chicago area will be the guy expected to carry out the political dirty work -- perhaps of prosecuting those people whom the president wants taken down a notch or two in order to bolster the presidential rhetoric.

All I know is that there'd be a whole lot of screaming and whining taking place if the situation was reversed and the Chicago-area congressmen were suddenly picking new U.S. attorneys to serve in Springfield and Marion.

BUT THIS KIND of political play ought not be surprising in this Age of Trump. Maybe the only real surprise is that it took Trump this long to get around to making such a move.

We can also hope that whomever winds up getting picked to be the head G-man in Chicago will be someone with such an intense respect for the concept of The Law that it overcomes partisan hang-ups.

In which case, that person will wind up finding themselves on Trump's list of enemies, because the new president most definitely is someone who expects to be regarded as above the law himself.

And in the end, Fardon -- whose record includes the involvement in prosecutions of former Gov. George Ryan and former 10th Ward Alderman Edward R. Vrdolyak may find himself relieved to be spared the nonsense of having to cope with the whims of such a chief executive.

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