The conviction of Tony Rezko yesterday on numerous corruption-related charges did not exactly come as a surprise. Nonetheless, the news sent shock waves through Illinois political circles. Today editorial boards and columnists are rushing to weigh in on what all this may mean for politics in the Prairie State.

The Tribune editorial board finds space in its pages to laud the work of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald for his successful prosecution of Rezko. Looking to the future, the Tribune assures us all that both Barack Obama and John McCain have pledged to keep Fitzgerald right here in Illinois where he can continue to fight corruption.

Noting that the trial was "always about prelude, never about climax" the Tribune also asks the million dollar question in a second editorial: Could Gov. Rod Blagojevoch be brought down if Rezko chooses to turn state's evidence?

It's a question posed by the editorial boards of the Sun-Times and the State Journal-Register as well. The Journal-Register observes that "the jury’s verdict Wednesday was as much an indictment of Blagojevich’s governorship as it was a conviction of Rezko himself." But could the governor be indicted?

"You bet," says the Sun-Times' Michael Sneed. "I'm told [Blagojevich] is next . . . they have the goods on him and they were expecting good things out of Tony Rezko, if he was convicted," Sneed says. Capitol Fax's Rich Miller points out that Sneed "has some of the best federal prosecutorial sources in the business."

Regardless of any future indictments, Bernard Schoenburg writes at the Journal-Register that the verdict "won't make governing the state any easier."

Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown zooms in on an overlooked detail that might carry major significance: "Rather than ask U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve to remain free on bond while he awaits sentencing, as is customary in federal court here, Rezko opted to go directly to jail." Brown wonders if this means Rezko is afraid of someone trying to "silence" him on the outside, or whether he's just eager to get talking.

The Sun-Times also reports that the GOP has wasted no time trying to make hay of Rezko's conviction, releasing a video linking Obama to the disgraced fundraiser. The article also supplies a timeline of the Democratic presidential candidate's relationship with Rezko.

But the conviction of Tony Rezko is also a problem for the GOP says the Tribune's John Kass. He writes: "It's a big Rezko problem. A big fat one known as Big Bob Kjellander and Big Bill Cellini," referring to two Republican pols whose names came up in the trial.

The consensus? This may be just the beginning.