Poetry is Everywhere: Blagojevich edition

Proving that poetry crops up in the darndest places, the New York Times reported the following in a December 19, 2008 story about a recent public appearance scandal plagued Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich:

"In his defense, Mr. Blagojevich said only that he had the truth on his side. Legal experts said his lack of specificity was not surprising, given the criminal case ahead of him. But his appearance was perhaps more revealing with regard to his emotional state. He described himself as lonely, thanked supporters for their comfort and prayers, and quoted from memory the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling, about the nobility of persevering through tough times."

There's no telling how being tied in any way to Blagojevich will impact Kipling's literary reputation.